ISLAM IN WESTERN LITERATURE

Moreover, for nearly eight centuries, starting from 711, Muslims held a portion of Spain and occasionally launched incursions into France. Sicily remained under Muslim control for over two hundred years and was a strategic stronghold against Italy. Throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Europeans fought as Crusaders on Muslim lands. The memories of past Crusades persisted, and hopes for future ones lingered for generations. Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and other religions of lesser development did not experience the same level of abuse and condemnation as Muhammadanism (Islam) did. These religions did not pose a threat to the medieval West and did not offer any competition. Consequently, it was primarily fear, hostility, and prejudice that influenced the Western perception of Islam and shaped its attitude. Islamic beliefs were viewed as beliefs of the enemy and, therefore, were treated with suspicion if not outright dismissed as false. Additionally, there was a significant linguistic barrier. For approximately six centuries after establishing military and political contacts between Christendom and the Islamic world, Europe lacked organised institutions for a formal study of the Arabic language, the Koranic language. Throughout that period, there is no record of any European Latin scholar who had a comprehensive understanding of Arabic and firsthand knowledge of Islam. This absence allowed legends and myths to fill the void left by the lack of knowledge.”