Medieval Christian critics praised Muslim virtues mainly to shame their own co-religionists

Evidence

It was apparently this satiric intention that governed Ricoldo in his praise of various Muslim practices and institutions, as he personally found them in Baghdad. His is the best example of realistic satire, since what he praised are really Muslim virtues: They received us indeed like angels of God, in their schools and colleges and monasteries, and in their churches or synagogues (i.e. in mosques), and their homes; and we diligently studied their religion and their works; and we were astounded how in so false a religion could be found works of such perfection. We refer here briefly to some of the works of perfection of the Muslims, rather to shame the Christians than to commend the Muslims. Who will not be astounded, if he carefully considers how great is the concern of these very Muslims for study, their devotion in prayer, their pity for the poor, their reverence for the name of God and the prophets and the Holy Places, their sobriety in manners, their hospitality to strangers, their harmony and love for each other? — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1086

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the satiric/homiletic use of the out-group’s virtue to indict the in-group’s vice — the same rhetorical move as medieval Christian critiques of Jewish literalism or Renaissance uses of the noble savage. — connects to: Medieval Christian views of Islam mixed praise with condemnation. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1124; Praise of Muslim morals served only as a satirical critique of Christians
• SEED: Angle for an essay: the ethics of praise-with-ulterior-motive — how genuine admiration gets weaponized as a mirror for one’s own community’s failures; parallels today’s ‘why can’t we be more like X’ discourse.