Riccoldo claimed Islam spread and persists only through violence

Evidence

Since neither reason nor miracles are on the Saracens’s side, continues Riccoldo, they have had to spread their law by the sword: “Sixth and final point: it should be known that the law of the Saracens is violent and that it was introduced through violence. Hence they themselves know quite well that this law will last only as long among them as their victories by the sword.” Every Friday, he continues, the Saracens assemble for prayer; the preacher begins by unsheathing a sword and placing it where all can see it; this is the sign that their law began by the sword and will finish by the sword. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1255

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader project of Christian polemic against Islam, and to contemporary claims about Islam’s violent origins — a genealogy of a durable stereotype.