I would use this story in one of our Advisory or homeroom weekly lessons.  Throughout the year, we use several of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation’s lessons, Start with Hello program for middle school students.  The program teaches students empathy and ways to end social isolation.  Several lessons focus on inclusion and understanding others. 

I would use the “dinner story” from Usama Ibn Munqidh’s writings to connect with the themes of empathy and inclusion.  This story illustrates that preconceived notions or stereotypes about a group of people are not always true.  The Frank, who was hosting the dinner, had adopted the ways of his new home and adapted to the cultural norms.  He showed empathy and kindness to his invited Muslim guests.  Later when the guest was accosted in the market by a woman who accused him of murder, because he fit the racial profile, the old knight, the Frank, protected him and saved him from death. 

After sharing this story and a brief discussion, I would read to my Advisory The English Roses by Madonna.  The final discussion, activity, etc. I would ask students to make connections with the two stories and how it might relate to cliques and ways that we judge others by how they look or what they like to do, etc.  Since this is not a history class, my lesson objective would not be specifically to deepen their understanding of the Crusades, but rather I would hope they would understand the importance of perspective in storytelling.  This lesson would support what they will learn in the future in social studies or world history when the focus of the lesson would be understanding history from alternative perspectives.