It was, for example, during the Crusades, when it was Christians who had instigated a
series of brutal holy wars against the Muslim world, that Islam was described by the
learned scholar-monks of Europe as an inherently violent and intolerant faith, which
had only been able to establish itself by the sword. The myth of the supposed fanatical
intolerance of Islam has become one of the received ideas of the West. [pp. 179-180]
Although her efforts have won great praise from many in the Muslim community, her work has won little praise from crusades scholars. While it is common to find references to the crusades in her many interviews and writings, her most extensive commentary comes from her well known book, Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today's World. The work has become a common holding in university libraries across the United States and Europe, much to the chagrin of many crusades historians who often will not allow the work to be used in the construction of an academic paper, at least not at the graduate level. One scholar, Dr. Thomas Madden at St. Louis University, has charitably referred to the book as "highly readable but not well acquainted with either current research or medieval sources." [See article with Dr. Madden's full comments here]. On another occasion Dr. Madden described Armstrong's work in stronger terms when he noted,
Originally written in 1988, this book was rereleased in 1991 in the wake of the Gulf War and has
now made another appearance since the September 11 attacks. Poorly researched and written,
this book is largely an exercise in modern left-wing rhetoric about sensitivity, tolerance, and the
evils of Western civilization. Her “triple vision” is blurred by a misguided approach to Islam and
Judaism and outright hostility to Catholicism. (1)
Crusades scholar Dr. James Powell has made similar comments about the quality of Karen Armstrong's scholarship.
Some of you have read the article in a recent New York Times Magazine entitled "The
Crusades Even Now." The author is a well-known popular writer on religious topics, Karen
Armstrong. That article sums up the tensions, prejudices, and emotional baggage that
surround the idea of crusade. As history, it is, unfortunately, less successful. Intent on
drumming in "lessons" from the past, its message is more in the tradition of a moral sermon
than an effort to understand the past. (2)
Crusades scholar Dr. Alfred Andrea has also negatively commented on Armstrong's scholarship.
Karen Armstrong, Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World (New York,
Doubleday, 1991) argues that ‘the Crusades were one of the direct causes of the conflict in the
Middle East today’ (p. xiii). Be careful. The book is highly partisan and present-minded and
contains numerous, often egregious, factual errors. (3)
Although crusades historians find serious problems with Karen Armstrong's books and commentary on the crusades, the former nun's voice, in terms of television and radio appearances, as well as books sales, appears to have a greater impact on popular understandings of the crusades than any professionally trained crusades historian.
Additional Links
Karen Armstrong- The Crusades, Even Now New York Times Magazine, 1999
Karen Armstrong- Islam's Stake: Why Jerusalem was Central to Muhammad Time.Com April 16, 2001
Karen Armstrong- The Curse of the Infidel Buzzle.Com June 19, 2002
Karen Armstrong- Medieval prejudice still influences West's View of Islam June 21, 2002
Karen Armstrong- Islam and the West-Interview with Karen Armstrong. Islamfortoday.com
Karen Armstrong- Root Out This Sinister Cultural Flaw- The Guardian Unlimited, April 6, 2005
James Arlandson- The Muslim Crusades The American Thinker April 16, 2004
Jane Lamp- Karen Armstrong's Path to Light- [Review of The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness] C.S. Monitor, March 30, 2004.
Interview with Karen Armstrong- The Feel of Religion The Boycott Israel Website
Interview with Karen Armstrong- Now With Bill Moyers March 1, 2002
Robert Spencer- Karen Armstrong's Fantasies About Islamic Terror, FrontPageMag.Com July 12, 2005
Karen Armstrong- A Profile in Literary Diversity WRMEA.Com- February 1993.
1. Dr. Thomas Madden Crusades of History and Politics Hudson Institute, Spring 2002
2. Dr. James M. Powell Crusading 1099-1999: Inaugural Lecture, Malta Study Center Lecture Series Presented at Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN October 28, 1999
3. Andrea, A. J. (2003) The Crusades in Perspective: The Crusades in Modern Islamic Perspective History Compass, 2003
(c) Andrew Holt, November 2005- Permission is granted for electronic copying and distribution in print for personal and educational use. You must cite the crusades-encyclopedia.com as your source. No permission is granted for commercial use.