The article below was written by one of the worlds foremost experts on the Crusades. I saw it over at Shoebat.com
and was so impressed by it I wanted to post it here. It kinda long but
it is written very well and is an easy read. I would deem this as a MUST
READ and I’m sure many of you will.
BY THOMAS F. MADDEN
With the
possible exception of Umberto Eco, medieval scholars are not used to
getting much media attention. We tend to be a quiet lot (except during
the annual bacchanalia we call the International Congress on Medieval
Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan, of all places), poring over musty
chronicles and writing dull yet meticulous studies that few will read.
Imagine, then, my surprise when within days of the September 11 attacks,
the Middle Ages suddenly became relevant.
As a Crusade
historian, I found the tranquil solitude of the ivory tower shattered by
journalists, editors, and talk-show hosts on tight deadlines eager to
get the real scoop. What were the Crusades?, they asked. When were they?
Just how insensitive was President George W. Bush for using the word
“crusade” in his remarks? With a few of my callers I had the distinct
impression that they already knew the answers to their questions, or at
least thought they did. What they really wanted was an expert to say it
all back to them. For example, I was frequently asked to comment on the
fact that the Islamic world has a just grievance against the West.
Doesn’t the present violence, they persisted, have its roots in the
Crusades’ brutal and unprovoked attacks against a sophisticated and
tolerant Muslim world? In other words, aren’t the Crusades really to
blame?
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