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DBQ Essay: The Black Death

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The tragedy of The Black Death affected the Christian and Muslim cultures equally in the fourteenth century. However, these two groups responded to the situation in very different ways. This difference can be a window of insight into their core religious beliefs. By looking at what the Christians and Muslims thought the causes of the Black Death were, the differences in the Christian and Muslim response to the plague, and the similarities of how the two groups reacted, Muslims and Christians responded in very different ways because of their thoughts and actions to the plague that ended the lives of many.

The plague was a disease that devastated Europe and the Christian population. Christians handled the plague very differently than the other …show more content…

The Muslims also believed that God sent the plague, however they believed the plague was a blessing. Everywhere they went they were mostly found carrying their Holy books. Muslims tried to prevent the plague by staying indoors, avoided sad talk, and consumed sour juices.(Doc F.) The Muslims did not blame or persecute the Jews for the cause of the plague. The Muslims even invited the Jews to pray peacefully with them.

Even though the Christians and the Muslims handled the plague differently there were still some similarities between the two. Both groups used fire to purify the contaminated air. (Doc F.) Muslims and Christians both prayed to God that the plague would be ended soon and that they shall be given mercy. The two groups had very few similarities when it comes to handling the plague. However the two groups did have one thing in common, neither group had great knowledge of the plague.
The differences in the two groups was great. They each had their own unique ways of trying to prevent the plague, and what they believed caused the plague. The Christians strongly believed that the Jews were to blame for the spread of the plague, whereas the Muslims believed the Jews played no role in the cause of the plague. The plague caused these two groups to handle a major epidemic drastically different both good and

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