Why were Christians upset that Muslims had gained control of the Holy Land?

Answer 1

NOTE: This answer to the question involves descriptions of the beliefs and attitudes of the Christians of Europe during the Middle Ages. This answer is NOT intended to ADVOCATE these beliefs and attitudes or to denigrate, in any way, the religions of Judaism or Islam.

The nature of monotheistic Faiths, such as Christianity, include an element of exclusivity, that is, the notion - indeed, the belief - that the Faith one practices is the only true, real, legitimate religious Faith. Therefore, if one accepts this notion, believes in this idea, then, by definition, all other religions are illegitimate, false. Obviously, this attitude concerning religions different from one's own, judging them to be illegitimate, false, can easily lead to intolerance towards those who practice a religion different from one's own.

For the most part, the people of Europe who practiced Christianity during the Middle Ages - that is, the overwhelming majority of the population of Medieval Europe - were strongly intolerant of those who practiced religions other than Christianity, specifically Jews and Muslims (indeed, there was intolerance between fellow Christians who happened to practice different denominations of Christianity - Catholicism versus Eastern Orthodox). Nearly all Medieval European Christians condemned Jews for their refusal to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and blamed Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. This served as a major motivation for the persecution of Jews throughout Medieval Europe. Similarly, virtually all Medieval European Christians viewed Muhammad as a false prophet and, therefore, the Muslim Faith as a false religion. This served as a major motivation for the wars fought between Medieval Europeans and Muslim kingdoms.

Predictably, given the attitudes described above, European Christians found the control of the birthplace of - in their eyes - the one true religion, the 'Holy Land' (present day Israel-Palestine) by the followers of - in their eyes - a false religion, Islam, completely intolerable. The birthplace of Christianity, a holy place for Christians, belonged to Christians (of course, the 'Holy Land' was holy for Jews and Muslims as well based on their own religious beliefs...) For Muslims to control the 'Holy Land' was, in the eyes of Medieval Christians, an insult to both God and to all Christians. The followers of a 'false' religion were, after all, committing a sin against God - in the eyes of Medieval Christians - by worshiping a 'false' version of God. How, then, was it acceptable for the 'Holy Land', the birthplace of the one, true religion, to be ruled by sinners?