Were the crusaders heroes, vying for a way to claim what was rightfully theirs or invaders going to extreme lengths to achieve things for their own selfish reasons?
There is no real way to decide which party, the Saracens or the Muslims are more 'morally' correct. In both cases, depending on a particular viewpoints, they are both correct or wronged. Maybe looking from the view point of the Muslims, many historians would have concluded that they were indeed innocent, having not provoked the Saracens prior the crusades.
To others, the Christians would have been innocent, simply fighting for their beliefs and their faith, claiming what they believed was theirs. They were believed, by some, to have been led blindly into a quest, based on little fact. Despite this, both the parties fought, and the Muslims being ambushed, without forewarning were either slaughtered or fled for their safety. Thus, the Saracens reigned victorious and claimed the Holy Land of Jerusalem as theirs for years to come, when ownership of the land would be passed to different people throughout war or siege.
It is impossible to justify whether a certain party, in this instance had the wrong belief or conception that drove them to commit deeds such as the crusades. We cannot say whether it was because the Saracens had fought unprovoked that they were the wrong-doers, nor can we say that the Muslims were the wrong-doers for stopping the Saracens for fighting for what they believed in. This is wholly based on one's personal opinion, neither being wrong or right.
There is no real way to decide which party, the Saracens or the Muslims are more 'morally' correct. In both cases, depending on a particular viewpoints, they are both correct or wronged. Maybe looking from the view point of the Muslims, many historians would have concluded that they were indeed innocent, having not provoked the Saracens prior the crusades.
To others, the Christians would have been innocent, simply fighting for their beliefs and their faith, claiming what they believed was theirs. They were believed, by some, to have been led blindly into a quest, based on little fact. Despite this, both the parties fought, and the Muslims being ambushed, without forewarning were either slaughtered or fled for their safety. Thus, the Saracens reigned victorious and claimed the Holy Land of Jerusalem as theirs for years to come, when ownership of the land would be passed to different people throughout war or siege.
It is impossible to justify whether a certain party, in this instance had the wrong belief or conception that drove them to commit deeds such as the crusades. We cannot say whether it was because the Saracens had fought unprovoked that they were the wrong-doers, nor can we say that the Muslims were the wrong-doers for stopping the Saracens for fighting for what they believed in. This is wholly based on one's personal opinion, neither being wrong or right.