Crusaders justified conquest by recasting Muslims as pagan Roman idolaters

Evidence

In the interim, many Latin chroniclers and Western theologians developed the view that the Saracens were pagans who bore a striking resemblance to the Roman idolaters of antiquity against which the earliest generations of Christians struggled. This construction of Islam as paganism was particularly prominent around the time of the First Crusade, serving as one of the major propagandistic tools used by crusaders to justify their efforts to conquer the Holy Land. The struggles of ancient Christians against Roman idolaters were now replicated in the battles waged by Christians against Saracen pagans. Crusaders could find comfort in knowing that the risks they undertook were not in vain but were part of an ongoing battle in Christian history to eradicate those enemies of Christ who worshipped false gods and idols. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 125

Categorization

• XREF: This construction of unfamiliar enemies through an ancient template connects to Edward Said’s thesis about how the West projects its own history onto Islam. — connects to: Medieval depictions of Islam as heresy served to justify violence and resist conversion — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 139; An epic poem converted Muhammad into a powerless idol to justify crusade conquest — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 126; The papacy manufactured Muslims as a holy-war enemy to unify Christian Europe — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 93 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• An epic poem converted Muhammad into a powerless idol to justify crusade conquest #exemplifies (0.85) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 126
• Medieval depictions of Islam as heresy served to justify violence and resist conversion #expands (0.80) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 139
• The papacy manufactured Muslims as a holy-war enemy to unify Christian Europe #expands (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 93
• Medieval theologians constructed Muslims as a degraded race descending from the slave Hagar #expands (0.70)
• The heresy view of Islam predated the crusades in John of Damascus’ writings #qualifies (0.60) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 128
• Secularists and Christians alike deployed Muslims as foils #expands (0.60)