Response Essay to Islam in the Crusades - 1413 Words

Bart Brown Strate HIS 120-02 3 October 2011 The Book of Contemplation / Islam and the Crusades From reading The Book of Contemplation I feel that the Franks are Inferior to the Muslims, in the eyes of Usama Ibn Munqidh. Throughout the literature when Usama refers to the Franks, a â€Å"may God curse them† usually follows. Usama rarely sheds a positive light on the Franks’ beliefs, actions, or practice of medicine. The first instance of Usama referencing the Franks was in the story â€Å"In the service of Nur Al-Din (Munqidh 43).† In the story Usamas family and possessions were being transported from Egypt to come to be with him. For the journey they were granted â€Å"safe passage† from the King of the Franks. Upon arriving to Acre, from†¦show more content†¦Upon arriving they saw â€Å"the entire army of Antioch† rush against the Franks, so they hurried to seize the advantage over them before the battle finished. One of the horsemen with Usama, Mahmud, had fallen and when Usama†™s group turned back to get him another had fallen and put in a choke hold by a Frankish knight, a few more spear thrusts were able to free him (Munqidh 68). In the story â€Å"Jum’a Accused of Cowardice† a few Frankish soldiers came upon a man grazing his animal (Munqidh 71). The Franks captured â€Å"the man and his beast,† afterwards Usama and his Uncle had 20 men ride off to rescue the man, shortly after the men turned back because they carried no spears. Jum’a rode off alone in pursuit and attacked the horsemen, chasing them back to their tents. The lord of Antioch had watched what happened and sent his men to disarm the two soldiers, after which the lord of Antioch had chastised his men saying â€Å" One Muslim horseman chases away two Frankish Knights! You aren’t men – you’re women!† In the story â€Å"The Status of the Knight among the Franks† Usama plainly states a few of his criticizing views of the Franks. T he first sentence of the story says, â€Å"The Franks (may God confound them) have none of the human virtues except for courage† (Munqidh 76). â€Å"They have neither precedence nor high rank except that of the knights – it is they who are the masters of legal reasoning, judgment and sentencing† (Munqidh 76). In the story he relates a story aboutShow MoreRelatedWhich Religion Is More Violent in History: Christianity or Islam?4367 Words   |  18 PagesWhich religion is more violent in history: Christianity or Islam? A Jewish–American author by the name of Isaac Bashevis Singer gave a quote which says; â€Å"Doubt is part of all religion, all religious thinkers were doubters†. Religion has always been very controversial in within society as there were always theories that were not proven as fact, problematic agendas within the various religions. 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