The Crusades were one of the bloodiest wars in the history of mankind, and was grossly misinterpreted as a war between "Muslims" and "Christians". The same thing could be said for the Lebanese Civil War, which involved a myriad of sectarian factions that allied with each other at parts and opposed each other later on, or vice-versa. However, the same can't be said entirely regarding the Crusades, although, like all wars, the Crusades were driven largely by political motivations more than anything else. And then you've got your extremists, from all sides.
The most notable group of extremists are the Knights Templar, who were Crusader Knights that wanted to openly fight with the Muslim, Christian and Jewish "infidels" of Palestine and subjugate them either to death or conversion... their choice. However, from reading the New Testament, I admit that I actually find it less draconic than the Koran and the Old Testament, with the latter being the more draconian from a literal perspective, though all religious books preach the same Message: to worship God and fear Him. However, take into note that the Crusaders were practically offended by the Rise of Islam and the fall of the Byzantine Empire, and saw it as a threat to the Christendom. Seeing that Jerusalem was now in Muslim hands, the Crusaders decided to attack these "enemies of Christ": the Muslims and Jews. Never mind the Orthodox and Byzantine "dark-skinned" Christians who lived amongst their Arab Muslim and Jewish brethren.
Anyways, getting to the point, the Crusader armies started with their own Jewish communities. Many Jews were killed by German Crusaders during the beginning of the First Crusade... in Europe! Afterwards,
That settled, let's shift to the present aspect of the Crusade, this time being perpetrated in a slightly different tone than the original. The name "Christian Zionism" comes into mind. It is the belief that Jews should have all of Palestine, and this would trigger the End Times. From what we have seen in the media, Christian Zionism is a serious distortion of the Christian faith, just like Crusader theology was. Instead of the religious message of peace and tolerance, it advocates war and hardship against those who oppose an apartheid state like Israel. Also, from what I've seen, most, if not all, Christian Zionists that I come across on the web have a serious discord and intolerance against Muslims and other Christians who oppose the state of Israel. In fact, their intolerance towards Islam is even greater. I know I sound "collectivist" here, but this is just from my experience, and I do not wish to taint all. There are in fact a good number of Christian Zionists who support Israel with an objective mind that has no apocalyptic undertones, just like there are Jewish Zionists who support Israel objectively (don't get me started on "Muslim" Zionists right now).
Also, many Christian Zionists do indeed believe that the "war on terror" is a Crusade against Muslims and those who oppose the state of Israel. But the real similarity with the Crusades lies in the tone of some of Christian Zionism's preachers. One such preacher is John Hagee, megachurch pastor and one of the faces of Christian Zionism in the U.S. (I really don't know if I should be calling it "Christian" Zionism: many Arab and non-Arab Christians I know are fiercely opposed to the idea of Israel being an idol of worship or a method of salvation). Point is, he came out and actually called Jews "Christ-killers". According to Jews-On-First, a liberal Jewish think-tank (and a good resource for First Amendment issues),
I'd like to note several differences between the Crusades and Zionism. The Crusades involved the objective of capturing Jerusalem and establishing a Christendom (via a Christian emperor) so that Jews will convert to Christianity and the End Times will result. Zionism is based on the idea that Jews will also convert to Christianity, but instead, the Nation of Israel will be God's Nation, and thus foremost in front of all nations, so says Hagee. The idea that Jews are to be the foremost amongst all nations is a racist fallacy: God does not take people on the basis of their descent, but by the basis of their actions.
To be honest, I for one am an ardent opponent to Zionism and any other religious/nationalistic philosophy which seeks total exclusion of any other people save for a certain group in a certain land. The idea of converting others to a certain religion based on commandments that have shaky literal foundations to support these outlandish claims is ludicruous, to say the least, because it opposes not only the core value of tolerance found in all world religions, including Islam, but also the core values of (non-partisan) liberalism to which I and many others adhere to as well. These godly statements emphasize my point:
I just hope that people stop these silly oversimplifications that seek to identify people from each other in as most divisive a way as possible. The last thing we need in today's world is division and discord. There is no battle between "Muslims" and "Jews" and "Christians". All this is a lie to guise the alterior motives of politicians in power. They do not want world peace. They want their own inner peace at the expense of the lives of others. There is no Crusade: what happened years ago was a sham on the face of inter-religious relations. These things must be ammended should God be pleased; after all, God seeks that man be good and charitable towards his fellow man, not plan some fanatic and zealous war against others. I just hope that the Christian Zionists and so-called "Muslim" terrorists get that.
Salaam, from Saracen
The most notable group of extremists are the Knights Templar, who were Crusader Knights that wanted to openly fight with the Muslim, Christian and Jewish "infidels" of Palestine and subjugate them either to death or conversion... their choice. However, from reading the New Testament, I admit that I actually find it less draconic than the Koran and the Old Testament, with the latter being the more draconian from a literal perspective, though all religious books preach the same Message: to worship God and fear Him. However, take into note that the Crusaders were practically offended by the Rise of Islam and the fall of the Byzantine Empire, and saw it as a threat to the Christendom. Seeing that Jerusalem was now in Muslim hands, the Crusaders decided to attack these "enemies of Christ": the Muslims and Jews. Never mind the Orthodox and Byzantine "dark-skinned" Christians who lived amongst their Arab Muslim and Jewish brethren.
Anyways, getting to the point, the Crusader armies started with their own Jewish communities. Many Jews were killed by German Crusaders during the beginning of the First Crusade... in Europe! Afterwards,
The preaching of the crusade inspired further anti-Semitism. According to some preachers, Jews and Muslims were enemies of Christ, and enemies were to be fought or converted to Christianity. The general public apparently assumed that "fought" meant "fought to the death", or "killed". The Christian conquest of Jerusalem and the establishment of a Christian emperor there would supposedly instigate the End Times, during which the Jews were supposed to convert to Christianity. In parts of France and Germany, Jews were thought to be responsible for the crucifixion, and they were more immediately visible than the far-away Muslims. Many people wondered why they should travel thousands of miles to fight non-believers when there were already non-believers closer to home.The sad thing is that many Christians fell victim to this false interpretation of their religion. Collectivizing the whole, Jews and Muslims, who were taken to be Ishmaelites (and Ishmael's position in the Bible is actually less favorable than that of Isaac), were considered as enemies of the Christian faith... infidels... scoundrels... wicked people, and thus they must be converted. Then there's the sick idea that they should rile up their own neighborhoods and "cleanse" or "purify" their cities of infidels. But what's more striking is... you guessed it... the bolded part in the middle... the red one. It hints at the point that what drove the Crusaders to do their bidding was an interpretation of End-Time belief. It is hoped in traditional Christian theology that Jews be converted to Christianity. But even then, Jews are often depicted as "Christ-killers". While many Muslim and Christian theologians agree that the Israelites in Jesus's time have plotted against him, it does not make the Jews of today responsible for his "death" (we believe that Jesus ascended to heaven and was saved from crucifixion, not a fitting fate for a Prophet of God).
That settled, let's shift to the present aspect of the Crusade, this time being perpetrated in a slightly different tone than the original. The name "Christian Zionism" comes into mind. It is the belief that Jews should have all of Palestine, and this would trigger the End Times. From what we have seen in the media, Christian Zionism is a serious distortion of the Christian faith, just like Crusader theology was. Instead of the religious message of peace and tolerance, it advocates war and hardship against those who oppose an apartheid state like Israel. Also, from what I've seen, most, if not all, Christian Zionists that I come across on the web have a serious discord and intolerance against Muslims and other Christians who oppose the state of Israel. In fact, their intolerance towards Islam is even greater. I know I sound "collectivist" here, but this is just from my experience, and I do not wish to taint all. There are in fact a good number of Christian Zionists who support Israel with an objective mind that has no apocalyptic undertones, just like there are Jewish Zionists who support Israel objectively (don't get me started on "Muslim" Zionists right now).
Also, many Christian Zionists do indeed believe that the "war on terror" is a Crusade against Muslims and those who oppose the state of Israel. But the real similarity with the Crusades lies in the tone of some of Christian Zionism's preachers. One such preacher is John Hagee, megachurch pastor and one of the faces of Christian Zionism in the U.S. (I really don't know if I should be calling it "Christian" Zionism: many Arab and non-Arab Christians I know are fiercely opposed to the idea of Israel being an idol of worship or a method of salvation). Point is, he came out and actually called Jews "Christ-killers". According to Jews-On-First, a liberal Jewish think-tank (and a good resource for First Amendment issues),
John Hagee, the megachurch pastor who is the current face of Christian Zionism in the United States, depicted Jews as Christ killers in a recent interview. Hagee also stated that Muslims have a "mandate" to kill Christians and Jews and that God caused Hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans to prevent a scheduled gay parade.If the same person who said that Muslims are willing to kill Jews and Christians also said that God caused Hurricane Katrina as divine punishment, then I think he needs to go get a reality check. Moving on,
Hagee made the controversial remarks about Jews, Muslims and gays during a September 18th interivew on the National Public Radio program Fresh Air. Jews, he said, will weep when they "see" Jesus Christ whose side they have "pierced."In that sense, near the End Times, the Jews will convert to Christianity. Islamic End-Time belief was discussed by myself when I addressed the false issue of "Muslim" Zionism, but I will talk about it later.
I'd like to note several differences between the Crusades and Zionism. The Crusades involved the objective of capturing Jerusalem and establishing a Christendom (via a Christian emperor) so that Jews will convert to Christianity and the End Times will result. Zionism is based on the idea that Jews will also convert to Christianity, but instead, the Nation of Israel will be God's Nation, and thus foremost in front of all nations, so says Hagee. The idea that Jews are to be the foremost amongst all nations is a racist fallacy: God does not take people on the basis of their descent, but by the basis of their actions.
To be honest, I for one am an ardent opponent to Zionism and any other religious/nationalistic philosophy which seeks total exclusion of any other people save for a certain group in a certain land. The idea of converting others to a certain religion based on commandments that have shaky literal foundations to support these outlandish claims is ludicruous, to say the least, because it opposes not only the core value of tolerance found in all world religions, including Islam, but also the core values of (non-partisan) liberalism to which I and many others adhere to as well. These godly statements emphasize my point:
"That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."I believe that there should be an opposition to this Modern Crusade. If anything, it seeks to divide Jews from Muslims from Christians from each other, and delineates the Message of love, peace and tranquility found in all religious teachings. The world of today is not the world of 1,000 years ago, where political divisions exploited religious differences, just like many extremists on all sides are plotting and scheming. We don't want that. The silent majority for peace in this world want to stop this bloodshed and trouble, and want an end to all forms of oppression, torture, militarism, and occupation. The divisions that seek to segregate us are not of any consequence to the welfare and future of us and the younger generations of tomorrow. We come out not just as Muslims, Jews, and Christians, and Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics, but also as humans, because we believe that we as humans are equal. Divisions are used only by the weak-minded cowardly factions that seek to sow discord amongst all people, especially when these people belong to nations that are supposedly at war with each other.
-Hillel, a famous Jewish Rabbi
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
-The New Testament
"By God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, with whom his neighbors are not secure."
-The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
I just hope that people stop these silly oversimplifications that seek to identify people from each other in as most divisive a way as possible. The last thing we need in today's world is division and discord. There is no battle between "Muslims" and "Jews" and "Christians". All this is a lie to guise the alterior motives of politicians in power. They do not want world peace. They want their own inner peace at the expense of the lives of others. There is no Crusade: what happened years ago was a sham on the face of inter-religious relations. These things must be ammended should God be pleased; after all, God seeks that man be good and charitable towards his fellow man, not plan some fanatic and zealous war against others. I just hope that the Christian Zionists and so-called "Muslim" terrorists get that.
Salaam, from Saracen
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