The Medieval Islamic Attitude Towards Christianity

Christians “became more depraved, more prone to every vice and more inclined than before to evil and wickedness” furthermore, “Preists, little weighing the sacrifice of a contrite spirit, betook themselves to where they could get larger stipends than in their own benefices.” These quotes offer an addition to reasons why Islamic behavior were claimed to be poised during this time compared to the rebellious actions of the

Overall, there are a number of similarities in the two faiths’ treatment of minority religions. Still, an examination of Medieval Christians' inter-faith relations finds a history of religious diplomacy much more fragmented than that of the Muslims. In Christianity, tolerance and persecution were part of the ebb and flow of the passage of power from one ruler to the next, as well as the power struggle between the church and the state. On the other hand, Muslims had no such struggle; their church and state were one and the same. Unlike Christians, they did not have separate laws for the sacred and profane, the secular and religious. The passage of power from one Islamic ruler to the next rarely brought with it radical amendments in the treatment of infidels, although exceptions did exist.

The Middle East is home to the creation of so many different cultures and religions. It is the home to the most prominent monotheistic faiths of this lifetime. Those faiths are Christianity, essentially Catholicism, and Islam. They do not only share a similar origin, but share the same ancestors and stories of prophets and people. There is a connection between the profound values of truth, love, and mercy that Catholics and Muslims hold dear. Although there are a great many commonalities between Catholicism and Islam, it is important to note the key foundations that make both religions special.

For example, “Islam never interfered with the dogmas of any moral faith, never persecuted Islam “grasped the sword” in self defense- Christianity grasped it in order to stifle freedom of thought and liberty of belief.” (Document 6) This quote shows that the Islamic faith and Muslims never interfered with other religions. This means that they were never persecuted or disliked. Christians however,

Once Muslims advanced into European countries (Spain and Balkan regions) with their religion, Christians tried to undo their work

The scriptures have shown that there are similarities of Christianity, Judaism and Islamic beliefs. The major difference in the writings is the treatment of strangers. In examining the contentious behaviors of the people in the Middle East, both past and present, religious beliefs have played a part in the development of the realm’s history.

Islam and Medieval Christianity have had a combative attitude towards each other. Islam considers Jesus as a continuation of the line of the Prophets, while Christians consider Jesus as the Son of God who came to redeem the world from its fallen nature. These two religions are one two of the largest religions across the world and impact billions of people. Some individuals in both religions view each other as infidels and the only recourse is to remove them from the society at large. The warring nature of these two Abrahamic religions allowed for them to develop in differing ways in Western and Eastern Europe. The growth of Islamic during the 600s to the 1500s made changes to Christianity by making the Pope a powerful

Islam and Christianity are the largest religion in the world and share many common beliefs. The two religions co-exist in many parts of the world. However, each religion has it is own territories where they are the dominant religion. The two religions share almost the same history of inception and concepts of faith. Despite, being similar in many ways, they also have marked differences. The differences have led to mutual distrust between the Christians and the Muslims. Many Muslims have come out openly to criticize the Christian religion and Christians have written many articles condemning the Islam religion. The differences and similarities appear in many aspects of the religions. As such, it is easier to discuss them intensively by restricting the discussion to selected aspects. The life after death and belief in the Supreme Being by the believers of Christianity and Islam religions has many differences and similarities.

This unjustified hatred of Muslims first became evident in the 11th century during the Crusades when Christians went to reclaim the holy land of Jerusalem, present day Israel. During the Crusades thousands of innocent Muslims were killed, according to records close to 70 thousand Muslims and Jews had been slain just in Jerusalem (Gul, 2011). During the 13th century Christian kings applied heavy taxation on Muslim residents to suppress Muslims and force Christianity onto them (Gul, 2011). After the collapse of Granada state the oppression of Muslims heightened, they were deported into N.Africa and forced to be Christian, in an attempt to obliterate all traces of Islam (Gul, 2011). In the 1500s many European powers passed legislations to limit what Muslims could do in their everyday lives (Ali, 2010). Even after over 10 centuries since the first evident movements of anti-Islamist, this perpetual issue has spread worldwide and has only gotten worse with

Both Christians and Muslims viewed themselves at the only keepers of God's word, His "ultimate revelation of himself." In their respective beginnings, each had the foundations within their doctrines, "the commandment to proselytize and spread to include all peoples." In those beginnings, neither Christians nor Muslims used violence to spread their respective religions. It was not until a population boom, which led to a hunger for land, and the control of trade routes in both regions, so They began resorting to war to spread their version of God's word. It was during this time, what the west knows as "The Crusades" Where perceptions and opinions were formed of the others adversary. Through written accounts and word of mouth, especially once the fighting broke out, the people back home formed in various ways. Especially how they interacted with each other around their known world. Those interactions between Muslims and Christians during the era of the Crusades became defined by misinterpretations of holy texts, sensationalism through stories and “eye witness accounts," and in turn perceived the other as violent savages.

As of today, the world’s two largest religions Christianity and Islam share an estimated 3.6 billion members, more than half of the world’s population. On the surface, they appear to have almost nothing in common, however, as one goes beyond the surface and examines the other factors such as the rituals, beliefs, ethics, founders, and convictions, the two religions share many similarities. However, in order to truly see and understand these similarities and differences, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam.

In “Images of Jesus Christ in Islam,” Oddbjorn Leirvik warns the reader that one can easily read the Quran with a Christian bias, ignoring historical context (28). Examining the similarities and differences in the Christologies presented in the Bible and the Quran can easily garner such biases. Leirvik brings several issues forth that add perspective to examining the Muslim Jesus in comparison to the Christian Jesus. It is indisputable that each religious tradition is in support and full belief of its own message. Both Christianity and

At the first glance, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common, however; as you go beyond the surface, they appear to have many similarities such as their beliefs of God, their beliefs of life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although are two entirely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true way to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout the course of this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the alikeness between these two growing religions.

During the medieval era, series of crusading brought significant impact for Western Europe. Increased cultural and intellectual contact with the Islamic world influenced on learning, literature, art, and other areas in society. Muslim accomplishment in science especially in medicine, mathematics, and astronomy were equally remarkable. More than that Muslim people studied wide variety range of science topics including astrology, geography, physics, chemistry, optics and other. This essay will be discussing about how science developed in medieval Islam, two main science topics they focused on most which are including mathematics and medicine and how science in Muslim emerge to Western Europe.

The accounts of the actions by the 'enemies of true religion' throughout the ten year period of