To what extent did Christian doctrine and teaching contribute to the growth of anti-Muslim hostility?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that Christian doctrine and teaching contributed to the growth of anti-Muslim hostility. Candidates may refer to the growing hostility noticeable during the Crusades in many letters, comments and polemical texts produced by the Church that described Muslims as heretics, as divine punishment and/or as the enemies of the Christian world. The intellectual activity in universities also involved discussions of the Quran to show what the Christian considered errors and tricks. Candidates may also consider the teaching activities of priests and monks who spread those ideas in different European cities. Candidates may challenge the question, arguing that Christian doctrine and teachings did not reach a majority of the population. They may also argue that the Crusades and the desire to gain power and resources were the main reasons for the hostility, not necessarily Christian doctrine. Candidates may point out that many Christian and Muslim communities coexisted for a long time and many Christian kings established diplomatic relations with Muslim authorities regardless of the Church’s complaints. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that Christian doctrine and teaching contributed to the growth of anti-Muslim hostility in medieval Europe.