Early Latin chroniclers framed Saracens as divine scourges and foes, not religious rivals

Evidence

The Chronicle of Fredegar (c. 658), earliest Latin chronicle to mention the Arab victory over Heraclius, describes the invasions in semiapocalyptic terms: Heraclius is warned by astrologers of his impending defeat at the hands of a circumcised race; he opens the mythical gates of the north (built by Alexander the Great), unleashing a hoard of northern barbarians on the Saracens, but to no avail. … Yet in their descriptions of the fresh waves of Muslim raids into Europe during the ninth century, Christian chroniclers continue to portray Muslims as scourges of God for their sins, as formidable military opponents, but not as religious adversaries. … Yet, whether chronicling the sack of Benevento or Charles Martel’s victory at Poitiers, they have nothing to say about the religious beliefs and practices of these “Saracens.” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 455