Reading Response for Monday, Sept. 26

Chapter 11-13 of Armstrong’s book were again very enlightening. I have used the term ‘interesting’ way too much, so I have to say they were fascinating. Armstrong’s story of the Muslim conquering of Jerusalem up until the Crusades is eye-opening and I feel like I am learning so much. Throughout these chapters, the Christians are presented in a very negative light- she mentions on several occasions the greed and the wealth some would accumulate and not share with their fellow Christians. This concept was very foreign to other groups in the city- especially the Muslims. Her comments reminded me of the discussion we had in class on Wednesday; many people commented that it is much easier to criticize your own culture than others. Although Armstrong gives a critical eye to all involved parties, the text makes it seem like the Christians were horrible people!

Speaking of being horrible people, I was very disturbed by the Crusades. Similar to almost everything in the book thus far, I had learned about them but did not go into much detail. I was taught it was more of a revival of Christian beliefs, and I had no understanding of the bloodshed and culture that continued once the Christians took control of the city. Armstrong tells us, “[the] Crusaders systematically slaughtered about 30,000 of the inhabitants of Jerusalem” and that “Muslims and Jews were cleared out of the city like vermin” (274). What ever happened to the rule about the people of the book? The Christians seem to have forgotten that at one point the Muslim rule allowed them to live with religious freedom! The powerful imagery of the other groups being pushed out like rats makes me cringe. The concept of a “holy war” continues to baffle me no matter how much I hear it. The manipulation of Jesus’s teachings for political gains is incredible. Aside from my complaints, I was also very interested in the life of the Franks after the Christians took control of the city. It seems as though this was one of the few times in the book Armstrong describes the Christians struggling with cultural identity and the temptation of assimilation. While the Christians reconstructed several holy cities throughout the city, some of them were very similar to the Muslims that surrounded them. Armstrong reports that some of the Christian even women wore a veil, something that I think a lot of American Christians would be surprised to know (289).

Nevertheless, although I continue to complain about the destruction the Christians forced upon people and the complete lack of respect, I should remind myself that this has happened numerous times throughout history and it is not something new. At some point, everyone has been marginalized and someone has been the bully. But does that justify their actions?