The general perception is that the Arab world used to be the centre of culture and progress as compared to its European counterpart during the Middle Ages. I've heard the stories about how great Saladin was and how greed and ruthless some of the Crusaders were (e.g. the priests allowed to board the ships choosing to save gold instead of the lives of the peasants).
That's why I'd like to ask if this perception finds basis in reality. If so, I'd like to know what was the Arabs' perception of the Western invaders, specially in the view of a little reversal of roles that took place during the years.
Thanks in advance.
One of the main things Islamic sources tend to focus on is the crusaders' hygiene. They were almost universally described as filthy and smelly. They were also considered to be loud and lacking in decorum. One story told by an Islamic source describes a crusader who visited a bath and was basically the medieval equivalent of the weird naked guy at the gym. The man brought his wife along with him (the baths were supposed to be segregated) and proclaimed loudly that they both needed their genitals shaved.
This story is probably fictional, but its theme matches the general view of the crusaders.
Essentially, if you think of the loud, entitled American tourist stereotype, you have some idea of how the Muslims thought of the crusaders.