Emotional Supression

In one of the readings that we were assigned for this week, I was part of the group that had to read from the point of view of a Muslim on Christianity. I had a work by an Islamic traveler whose name was Usamah ibn-Munquidh. His work was a narration of his experiences with those belonging to the christian faith, whom he referred to as the Franks. He begins by saying, 'Their lack of sense' and how although they are nothing but animals to God, their level of loyalty, faithfulness, and dependency to him is astonishing and admirable, but not very impacting. He also presents the idea that all Franks are cold- blooded, insensible, undisturbed people who find no need to help others see what is being done wrong.

I find this curious. One of the examples he gave was of a man who arrived home one day to find a stranger lying in bed with his wife. He proceeded in a very calm way to ask why it was that he was there. The other man responded that he was awfully tired and entered for a responsible nap. The man then asked why it was that he laid in that particular bed, the other man responded, because it was already disturbed. The man then asked why did he lay with his wife in it, the other man said because it would be rude of him to ask her to leave pertaining that it as her own bed. The man then told him to get out and if the event occurred again, he would be forced to challenge him in a quarrel. Given this story, could it be that Christianity actually teaches suppression of emotion, lack of sensibility along with lack of interest, and cold attitudes towards others? Although i am not of the christian faith, i did grow up with a catholic grandmother and later her values were taught to me through my own mother during my early years, as a little child. I like to think of myself as a warm hearted being, but with my lack of strong education on Christian beliefs, i am unsure now.

Considering the fact that the writer of this text was a Muslim of the Islamic faith during the period of the Crusades, and during the time when not everybody and not even the majority of the population knew how to read, it could be that he was probably trying to strengthen the beliefs of those who did know how to read? I mean, those higher up with power were the ones able to read, so he could also have been trying to appeal to them as an intellectual person who was devoted. Whichever goals that Usamah ibn-Munquidh was trying to achieve, i think he might have done because it makes Christianity appear as a religion that takes away from its followers the ability to have strong opinions, to feel strong feelings, and to be of free will.