The Crusades through Arab Eyes - Book Report/Review Example

Critical Essay On The Book "The Crusades through Arab Eyes" Introduction The world history encompasses uncountable events which played a crucial role in shaping human societies across countries. Human conflicts which result in wars and battles form the major part of world history. When a war takes places between two forces, there are two different views to be analyzed to locate the causes of war. But scholars tend to focus on the wining force and ignore the perspective of the losing side. The Crusades, one of the influential events in European history, has always been studied from the point of view of Westerners. The other force, the Arab world, which was involved in the struggle, has been ignored since ages. The book The Crusades through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf focuses on the Arab perspective. Amin Maalouf presents the story of the Crusades through the point of view of Arabs. The thoughts and opinions of Arabs about the Crusades are presented in the book. In this paper, we will critically assess the book by discussing the Arab view about the Crusades, mentioned in the book. The Arab View The book stands out among other books written on this subject, for it differs from other books in its focus. Majority of books have depicted the Crusades from the Western perspective. This book focuses on the Arab forces and their thoughts. The author begins the book by describing the fear that Franj troops created in the minds of Arab leaders. King Kilij Arslan was the first Arab King who was informed about the approach of Franj troops. “The King Kilij Arslan whom Ibn al-Qalanisi mentions here was not yet seventeen when their invader arrived. The first Muslim leader to be informed of their approach……but also the first to be routed by the formidable knights. (Maalouf 2). The news of the invasion was received with fear, as Arslan was aware that the Franj troops brought ruin and destruction. The attitude of Arab world towards Franj troops is depicted in the thoughts of Arslan. Although they were ignorant of their aims, they were sure that Franj troops were coming to harm them. Arslan represented the outlook of the Arab world towards Franj troops. “He immediately feared the worst. Naturally he had no idea as to the real aims of these people, but in his view nothing good could come of their arrival in the Orient.” (Maalouf 2). The Arab world viewed the Franj troops with distrust and fear. Conduct of Arabs and the Franj Troops The book also sheds light on the conduct of Arabs and Franj troops during the Crusades. The Franj troops claimed that they followed the teachings of Christian but their behavior defied their claim. When the Franj troops seized any Arab city, they looted the region and killed the native people not even sparing women and children. When the Arab soldiers were detained by Franj troops, they decapitated them. This was in contrast to the conduct of the Arabs when they captured Franj soldiers. The Arabs refrained from harming the Franj soldiers. They also liberated them in exchange of ransom. The good conduct of Arabs is proved by the acts of Salah el-Din when he seized Jerusalem. Salah el-Din not only released the Franj soldiers but also did so, without collecting ransom from Franj soldiers. The Franj soldiers were superior to Arabs in strength and power but in matters of conduct and ethics the Arabs fared better than the Franj troops. The Franj troops were brutal in their behavior and ways. The Arabs honored their treaties whereas Franj soldiers violated the treaties signed by them. Arab Culture and European Culture The author mentions about Arab culture which differed from European culture of the Franj troops. Under the rule of Arabs, the Christians and Jews were free to follow their religious beliefs. The Muslim rulers never harassed their subjects belonging to other religions. On the other hand, the Franj soldiers displayed their vicious behavior in this matter also. The Franj soldiers never permitted the Muslims to follow their religion in the areas under their rule. On the contrary, it was a common practice among the Franj troops to kill a praying Muslim while making him to face towards east. They even harassed the Arab Christians. Maalouf also writes about the Muslim culture which was constructive, as Muslim scholars were making significant contributions in the field of mathematics, philosophy and science. At that time, European culture was still under the influence of Dark Ages. Internal Conflicts Along with the conflict between the Franj troops and Arabs, there existed internal conflicts among the Arabs. The book presents these conflicts which resulted in the defeat of Arabs in the initial period of the Crusades. In their attempt to overpower their rival group of Arabs, some Arabs aided the Franj troops in their invasions. Their internal conflicts were weakening the Arabs in their fight against the Franj invaders. It was only in the later periods of the Crusade that the Arabs united in their fight against Franj troops. Conclusion The Crusades has been depicted in numerous books but it is the Western perspective which is preferred by majority of the authors. Amin Maalouf also writes about the Crusades in his book The Crusades through Arab Eyes but he focuses on the Arab perspective. Maalouf presents the views of Arabs regarding the Franj troops. The experiences of Arabs while fighting the Franj soldiers are depicted in the book. The book provides valuable sources of information on the behavior of Franj soldiers during their invasions on Arab cities. Although Franj soldiers were known for their strength and power, the Arabs were superior to Franj soldiers when behavior and conduct is considered. The Franj soldiers were brutal in their attacks on the Arab cities and cruel in their treatment towards the detained Arab soldiers whereas the Arabs soldiers never restored to cruel treatment while dealing with the captured Franj soldiers. The author also mentions about the Arab culture which provided an atmosphere that was conducive for the progress of Muslim scholars. But the book lacks in one aspect, the claims made by the Arabs are not backed by ample evidence. So the reader is not sure about the accuracy of the Arabs’ claims. Read More