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The Islamic Interpretation of the Crusade: A New (Old) Paradigm for Understanding the Crusades

2006; De Gruyter; Volume: 83; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1515/islam.2006.004

1613-0928

Paul E. Chevedden,

Islamic Studies and History

A Novemcentennial Last year marked the 900th anniversary of the debut of the Islamic interpretation of the Crusade. 900 years ago, not long after the Crusader conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, a Muslim jurist in nearby Damascus formulated an encompassing theory of the Crusade that came to enjoy canonical status in the Islamic historiographical tradition. His idea of the Crusade was the first conceptual paradigm ever advanced to explain the crusading movement, and his schema served as a model for later historians in the Middle East who examined the Christian jihād . His panoramic overview of the Crusade is historically accurate and in fundamental agreement with papal documents. Furthermore, his clear and precise vision of the Crusade is capable of guiding future research in the field of Crusade studies. Despite these noteworthy facts, the novemcentennial of the Islamic interpretation of the Crusade was not accompanied by widespread academic congresses or celebrations last year. The city of Damascus, where this interpretation was first presented, did not commemorate this significant intellectual achievement. In fact, there were no remembrances at all last year for the emergence of the very first scholarly conceptualization of the Crusade. The reason is simple. The Islamic interpretation of the Crusade remains unknown.