Saracen idolatry imagery was Crusade propaganda, but originated pre-Crusade

Evidence

This is not mere “literary convention,” as Norman Daniel claims. This portrayal of Saracen idolatry grows out of a propagandistic effort to justify and glorify the actions of the first and second Crusades. Yet the earliest vivid description of Saracen idolatry predates the first Crusade by a century; it comes from the pen of a nun writing about a Cordovan martyr. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 591

Categorization

• QUESTION: Who is the nun writing about a Cordovan martyr, and what text predates the First Crusade by a century? Worth chasing down this specific author.
• SEED: Angle: the propaganda origin story of a stereotype — that a hated image of an enemy can be traced to a precise author, a century before the war it justified. Reverses the usual ‘stereotype = ancient prejudice’ explanation.
• XREF: connects to: The medieval Muslim-idol legend originated as Crusade war propaganda; Anti-Muslim polytheism charges were deliberate Crusade propaganda