How did Islamic people handle believers in other faiths during the time period of the Crusades?
Historically, Muslims had always been badly misunderstood by the false propaganda that the anti-Islamic spread against Muslims and Islam.
The non-Muslims who were Arab Christians during the times of the Crusades who lived in Palestine never faced any harassment from the Islamic Government. Their churches were honored. They never were prevented from visiting their Holy Places at anytime.
Let me give you few examples to further support my proof. Around 1400 years ago, when the Muslims finally reached Palestine, and spread the Truthful religion of Islam to the people there, Caliph Omar (may Allah Almighty be pleased with him and rest his soul) came and prayed in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Right next to that Mosque, there was a Christian Church. The Caliph refused to pray in that Church (back then it was a way to show honor and respect if you pray in others' Holy Temples) because he feared that Muslims someday would consider that Church as a special Islamic site (since the Caliph would've prayed in it) and force it to be a Muslim Mosque.
He prevented that possibility from happening, and that Christian Church is until today a Christian Church. Christians in the Middle East never faced any problems from Islamic governments.
Another example is during the time when the Muslim leader Salahu-Deen Al-Ayyobee liberated Palestine from the Crusades. He immediately announced that all Christian and Jewish Pilgrims are welcomed to come and visit the Holy City Jerusalem and perform their Worships there in peace. He assured them their safety, even though our Islamic History tells us that the first British Crusades Leader, Reno, had slaughtered Muslim Pilgrims before when they were heading toward the Holy City of Mecca in what we call today Saudi Arabia.
A continuation to my article from brother Haleem; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him: "In your "How did Muslims Treat Christians" Section you might mention that even though he lead a Crusade and was captured, St. Louis, king of France, was RELEASED UNHARMED. In other words, the full penalty for dacoity was NOT INFLICTED - even though it would have been well deserved in the case of a Crusader leader.
St. Louis fought in two Crusades, both of which were total
failures. In 1248 he led an army to the island of Cyprus (about 35 N 33 E), and was there
joined by 200 English knights. In 1249 they proceeded to Egypt and took the city of
Damietta, but discipline broke down and Louis was unable to keep the soldiers from
looting. Disease ravaged the camp, and in 1250 the army suffered a disastrous defeat at
Mansurah and Louis himself was taken prisoner. His Arab captors were quick to recognize in
him a mixture of military valor and personal holiness, and were accustomed to kneel when
speaking to him. He and his handful of surviving companions were released on the surrender
of Damietta and the payment of a large ransom. He sailed to Palestine, visited the few
Holy Places that were accessible, and returned to France in 1254. In 1270 he joined
another crusade, which landed in Tunis, where he immediately caught typhoid fever and died
on 25 August. His biography, by a friend and comrade in arms, the Sieur Jean de Joinville,
is available in English in Chronicles of The Crusades, Penguin Paperbacks.
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/08/25.html"
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