Whatthe Crusades Accomplished—And Whet They Didn't
wer e se iz ed fr om th ei r Ch ri st ia n fa mil ie s as bo ys, en sl ave d, an d fo rc ib ly
co nve rt ed to Is la m. Ac co rd in g to hi st or ia n Go df re y Go od wi n, "N o ch il d
mi gh tbe re cru it ed who was co nve rt ed to Is la m ot her tha n by his own fre e
wi l1—if the choice between life anddeath maybe called free will."'
Th e Ja ni ss ar ie s be ca me th e Ot to ma n Em pi re 's mo st fo rm id ab le
wa rr io rs ag ai nst Chr ist ia ni ty. Th e co lle ct ion of bo ys fo r thi s co rp s
be ca mean an nu alev en t in so me pl ac es Ch ri st ia n fa th er s we re fo rc ed
to appe ar inth etownsquares with theirsons:the Muslims took the strongest
and brighte st yo un g me n, wh o ne ve r sa w th ei r ho me s ag ai n un le ss
th eyha pp en edto be part of a Muslim fighting force sent to that area.Just LikeToday: Winninghearts and minds
Whena deadly tsunami hit South Asia in December 2004, Secretary of State Cohn Powell
ex pr es se d ho pe th at th e ai d th e Un it ed St at es wa s gi vi ng to co un tr ie s hi t by th e
tsunami would turn the tide of anti-American sentimentin the Muslim world.
However, it was more than a year and a half before Powell’s statement that the South African
mufti Ebrahim Desai, the irnam of an "Ask the Imam" feature on a Muslim question-and-answer
website, made a statement which, had Powell known of it, might have diminished his confidencein
the religious effect of the aid.A questioner asked if the West should receive praise from muslims
for sending troops to Bosnia and condemning the killing of Muslims elsewhere. Desai'sanswerwas
brief: In simple the Kuffaar [unbelievers] can never be trusted forany possiblegood they do, They
have their own interest at heart"'
One man's opinion? Sure, But it is an opinion with deep roots in Islamic tradition,andit would
therefore be naive to dismiss it as simply Desai's own mean-spiritedn ess.TheQur'an tells
believers not to "take for friends or helpersUnbelieversrather than believers. If any do that, in
nothing will there be help fromAllah; except by way ofprecaution.that ye may guard yourselves
Fromthem" (Qur'an 3:24 DidJohn VICantacuzenusor Powell know of the existenceof that verse?