The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades

Chapter 10

W H Y T H E C R U S A D E S

WERE CALLED

The Crusaders' sack of Jerusalem in1099,according to journalist
Amin Maalouf inThe Crusades Through Arab Eyes,was the
"s ta rt in g po in t of a mi ll en ni al ho st il it y be tw een Is la m an d th e
We st."^1 Isl ami c sc hol ar and apo log ist Jo hn Esp osi to is a bit mor e
exp ansi v e he b l a me s t h e Cr u sa d e s ( " so-c a l l e d ho l y wa r s " ) i n
ge ne r a l fo r d i srup ti ng a pl ur al is ti c ci vi li za ti on : "F iv e ce nt ur ie s of
pe ac ef ul co ex iste nc e el ap se d be fo re po li tica l ev en ts an danim pe ri al-
pa pa l po we r pl ay le dto centuries-long series ofso-calledholy wars that
pitted Christendom against Islam and left an enduring legacy of
misunderstanding and distrust."'
Ma al ou f do es n' t se em to co ns id er whe th er "m il le nn ia l
ho st ili ty " ma y be gu n wi th th e Pr op het Mu ha mm ad 's ve il ed th re at ,
is su ed ov er 45 0 year s before the Crusaders entered Jerusalem, to
neighboring non-Muslim leaders to "embrace Islam and you will be safe."'
Nor does he discuss the possibility that Muslims may have stoked that
"millennial hostility" byse iz in g Ch ri st ia n la nd s—wh ic h am ou nt ed to
tw o-th ir ds of wh at ha d fo rm er ly be en the Chr ist ia n wo rld—ce ntu ri es
be fo re the Cr usa de s, Esp osi os "fivecenturiesof peaceful coexistence"
were exemplified, hesays, byth e Mu slim co nq ue st of Je ru sa le m. in
63 8: "c hu rc he s an d th e Ch ri stia n po pu la ti on we re le ft
un mo le st ed ," B ut he do es n' t me nt io n So ph ro??? 's' Christmas sermon
for634,when he complained of the Muslims'

Guess what?

0 The Crusades were

notacts of unpro-

voked aggression by

Europe against the

lslamicworld, but

were a delayed

response to centuries

of Muslimaggression,

which grewfiercer

than ever inthe

eleventh century.

These were wars for

the recapture of

Christianlands andthe

defense of Christians,

not religious

imperialism.

The Crusades were

not calledin order to

convert Muslims or

anyone else to Chris-

tianity by force.