How did the Crusaders treat Muslim peasants who remained in the Latin states?
In the Latin states established during the Crusades, the treatment of Muslim peasants was generally characterized by a pragmatic tolerance that contrasted with the initial ruthlessness of the early conquest.
While Muslim town dwellers who did not flee were often captured and assigned to menial labor, the majority of the Muslim population remained in rural areas as peasants. These individuals were permitted to retain their land holdings, provided they fulfilled fiscal obligations that were typically identical to those previously levied by their former Muslim rulers on non-Muslims. These impositions were similar to the burdens placed upon European serfs.1
Furthermore, Muslim nomads, or Bedouin, were granted their traditional rights of pasturage by the king. Religious observance was also largely respected; while many mosques were initially appropriated, no systematic attempt was made to restrict Muslim worship, and some mosques were restored for use by the local population. This flexible approach to the diverse local population often surprised and disturbed new arrivals from the West, who were accustomed to different social and religious dynamics.1