The Crusades Through Arab Eyes

Maalouf introduces the theme of inter-Muslim political turmoil early in the text. Despite the book’s title, the historical figures appearing in the text are not only Arab, but also Armenian, Kurdish, and Turkish, and it is at times unclear if he means the Islamic world as a whole when he refers to “Arabs,” which are not synonymous. It is thus more appropriate to speak of fractures between Muslim rulers rather than within the Arab world alone.

Maalouf identifies this problem of internal conflict as the major reason for the Crusaders’ early successes. He contrasts Islamic territories with those of the Crusader states in his Epilogue, where he argues that Westerners effectively implemented early apparatuses of governments. He likewise contrasts this early turmoil with the effective unification policies of Zangī, Nūr al-Dīn, and Saladin. It was their ability to overcome petty conflicts and put the greater good of the Islamic world above their personal interests that facilitated their successful outcomes against the Franj. Though this problem persisted after Saladin’s death, the Mamluks were eventually able to expel the Franks and reclaim the Holy Land in the name of Islam.

This inter-Islamic quarreling appeared soon after the

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