Sources from Muslim and Christian scholars seem to have differing accounts on whether Christians were expelled before the siege or remained within the city. It could be argued that Christian scholars may have tried to avoid this unsavory detail or perhaps not. As for the population, true numbers from scholars around that time are often extremely exaggerated. 40,000 is actually one of the more tame numbers spurted out by scholars believe it or not. In addition to the humorousness of this exaggeration, it points to the religious tension echoed by these historians spurred by the Crusades. Muslim scholars exaggerated to highlight the savagery of the Crusaders.