Tolerance and intolerance: Islam and Europe
التسامح والتعصب بين الإسلام وأوروبا
A short piece in which Arslan answers a European author on tolerance. He argues that Europeans in the Crusades and after were no less intolerant than the Ottomans at the siege of Vienna in 1683, citing the Crusader capture of Jerusalem and the end of Muslim rule in Sicily and al-Andalus. He says he does not accuse the author of bias and regards him as fair, but that Europeans overlook these events. This is Arslan's rejoinder; his figures for these events need checking.
At a glance
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
In a short section, Shakib Arslan presents his reply to a European book on tolerance. This is a presentation of the author's argument, not a ruling on the question. 1
His argument
He mentions that the Europeans in the time of the Crusades were no less fanatical than the Turks in the time of the siege of Vienna in 1683. He points to what he attributes to the Crusaders at the taking of Jerusalem, and to what happened to the Muslims in al-Andalus and Sicily. 1
His attitude toward the author
He says that he does not wish to attribute bias to the author of the book, and that he counts him among the most fair of European writers, but he holds that the European overlooks these events. 1
A further source is needed: the figures for these events need checking, and the name of the author of the book is not given in the data.
Sources
- Stoddard, Hadir al-ʿalam al-islami (Arabic translation with Arslan's commentary)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Tolerance and intolerance: Islam and Europe”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/tolerance-and-intolerance-islam-europe/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.