In what ways did religious movements such as the crusades or Sufism transform the relative isolation of Western Europe? How were they affected by nomadic invasions and empire?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary but correct responses should include: The Crusades and Sufism transformed the relative isolation of Western Europe. In the Crusades, the transformation of pilgrimage into armed expeditions and the adoption of Islamic idea of holy war made the Holy Land into region of continual battle. Religious leaders whipped up mass movements and disorganized expeditions that lead to disastrous results. There was dynamism in the Western Europe of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, but most of it was expended on inward development and on expanding the frontiers while the Crusades contributed indirectly. Sufism could help heal the divisions among Muslims and equip the Islamic world to expand. It had enormous popular appeal. The rehabilitation of Sufism was vital for the future of Islam. Because Sufis were indifferent to externals, Sufi mystics could tolerate cultural differences among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims in a way the legal-minded Islamic intellectuals could not. Though most people found Sufis' mystical practices as difficult to understand as any of the doctrines of the conventionally learned, Sufis' emphasis on experience, faith, and emotions was universally accessible. Their habits of holiness satisfied ordinary people's craving for saints. They were Islam's most effective missionaries in subsequent centuries. Christendom, Islam, and China had contrasting experiences of relationships with nomads. The Magyars and Bulgars settled inside Christendom, setting up states similar to those of their neighbors, but most of the herder-peoples who raided or invaded Europe remained excluded and hostile. Nomad invaders of China typically adopted Chinese ways and became vulnerable in their turn to further waves of invasion from the steppes. In Islam, however, the Turks' vocation for war outlasted conversion to Muslim religion and more settled ways of life. They became the sword-bearers of Islam, renewing manpower for defense and expansion to an extent unparalleled in Europe or China.