Accurate knowledge of Islam did not soften early Christian hostility toward it

Evidence

John is one of the first significant theologians to possess a fairly accurate knowledge of Islam based on firsthand familiarity with Islam’s sacred texts. He correctly recalls important Islamic beliefs, such as the oneness of God, Jesus as the Word of God and a prophet, Jesus’ miraculous birth, the denial of Jesus’ crucifixion, the Qur’an as God’s revelation to humanity, and so forth. A greater knowledge of Islam, however, does not make him a more benevolent interpreter of Islam. John’s agenda is not to provide an impartial description of Islam but to assist Christians who, as dhimmis, need help in their efforts to survive the pervasive claims of Islam and to resist the impulse to convert. The more Christians can see Islam as a perversion of the Christian gospel, the better equipped they will be to maintain steadfastness in the faith. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 132

Martin Luther, the most towering figure of the Reformation, was a supporter of Bibliander’s efforts in Basel and the best example of a theologian who sought to learn more about Islam. Luther studied the Qur’an, albeit in its Latin version, and gave considerable attention to Islam and Muslims based on some of this study. That said, his greater knowledge did not translate into a more benevolent assessment of Islam. Many of his thoughts reflected the medieval prejudices that went before him, and his writings more often than not served to justify violence and aggression against the Turks, just as many medieval Christian constructions of Islam served to authorize violence against Muslims during the Crusades and the Reconquista. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 148

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s question about whether better knowledge of Islam changes perception — here it demonstrably does not; relevant to framing a later piece on whether education reduces Islamophobia. — connects to: Religious framing could not motivate Egyptian troops fighting the Ottoman sultan in Syria; Factual correction fails against holders of complex ignorance about Islam. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 653; Western hostility to Islam shifted from theological to political rationales across the centuries — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 106 (+16 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 132; Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 148

Broader Connections

• Reformation-era Christian scholars rarely studied Islam seriously #corroborates (0.70) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 147
• Reformation polemics redeployed medieval constructs of Islam unchanged #corroborates (0.70) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 157
• Islam threatened Christianity because it mounted a rival revelatory claim #expands (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 64
• Preconceptions about Muslims filter out information that contradicts them #expands (0.60)
• Islam’s entanglement with Christianity’s history has blocked objective Western study of it. #expands (0.60) — Peter Gottschalk and Gabriel Greenberg, Common Heritage, Uncommon Fear, 124