There are many depictions of the Crusades in modern times. These assumptions are primarily made through the idea that it was a war based upon conflicting religions. Many people are taught today that the Crusades are the “mean Christians” from Europe coming over and killing the Muslims. There is so much to this idea that is wrong that, anybody that says this has obviously never studied or looked at the Crusades. Another depiction of the Crusades is that the Christians went up against the Muslims because they believed it was their “duty”, to fight in the name of God. The other portrayal of the Crusades can be that the Muslim involvement of Jihad was not a factor in the Crusades, this idea is also false. (source) (source ,Google Books)
Concerning the thought that the Christians came over, fighting against the helpless Muslims is quite ridicules. Separating the truth from what the definition of the Crusades has become is quite difficult to explain, the modern day deception has become so ridicules that it is so far from the truth. In reality the Crusades were a defensive maneuver on the European Christian side. The Europeans were being pushed back and attacked by the Muslims. This caused them to either do one of two things, either surrender or fight back. This had no correlation with a religious effort on their part. (source)
Next step is to dispel the false accusations of the Christians out weighing the Muslims. This is a pretty easy thing to do because during this time Arabian Peninsula was considered a wealthy area of the world and the Europeans were the poorer people of the time. This was a result of the good trade routes and use of water through the Muslims. Up until the Crusades the Muslims had already conquered most of the area around the Mediterranean Sea. As the Muslims continued to push their empire into Europe they had their first set back. Through the fact that the Muslims had an economic and militarily advantage against the Europeans, this war was not the depiction of the mean Europeans fighting against the helpless Muslims. (source) (source ,Google Books)
The conniption most people have with the Crusades is that the Christians only fought back to save their religion. This assumption is wrong, the European Christians fought back for the reason that the Muslims had gone to far with their tradition of Jihad. They had killed many people in the fight for conversion. The Muslims had used very threatening tactics in these advances and in common sense and defensive manner these actions should not have gone on. The effort was to save peoples lives not to convert people to Christianity. The other aspect of this is that the people can obviously not deny the fact that the Islamic tradition of Jihad was a factor in the Crusades. (source) (source) (source ,Google Books)
In reality the Crusades did not have that big of an impact on the Muslims and their efforts for expansion. The fight from the Europeans however did set them back and probably made them realize that actions have consequences and that every now and then people will fight back. The biggest thing the Crusades did do was buy time for the Europeans. These efforts also had minor delays on the economic status of both cultures. (source) (source ,Google Books)
The modern day depictions of the Crusades are so far from the truth. The truths can be seen if people today only looked at the Crusades. Connecting the ideas of Just War and Jihad have and impact on the correlation of the Crusades. They show what the efforts of both sides were and what they accomplished through their actions and efforts. In the end the Crusades did not leave a huge impact and these efforts just died off over time. (source) (source)
(source , Google Books)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Steps Toward the Crusades
“The popular misconceptions about the crusades are that these were aggressive wars of expansion fought by religious fanatics in order to evict Muslims from their homeland, and force conversions to Christianity. However the historical record does not support those assertions.” (source)
The Crusades to most people are seen as the mean European Christians trying to convert and remove the Muslims. However, this view is wrong just as the quote expresses; in reality the Muslims had used their tradition of jihad to convert many people which includes violence towards the innocent civilians. This is breaking the idea of Just War and as a defensive move the Europeans retaliated. (source) (source Google Books) (source Google Books)
“It was, moreover, the successful exploitation of the Jihad ideal which removed the alien presence of the Crusaders from Muslim soil” (source Google Books)
This explains the efforts of the Muslims. There are various situations that show how the Muslims were misusing their traditions of Jihad. They had already forcefully converted two thirds of the Christian world. They had kidnapped many other Christians in Caesarea and killed others from Amoriem. In 789, the Muslims beheaded the monk in Bethlehem and in 937 they went on a rampage on Palm Sunday setting fires to many Christian churches. As you can see the Christians and Jews were living under numerous threats for years and years because of the Jihad tradition. (source) (source)
“The crusaders were reacting to over four centuries of relentless Islamic Jihad, which had wiped out over 50% of all the Christians in the world and conquered over 60% of all the Christian lands on earth – before the crusades even began .“ (source)
The Crusades were in an effort for Just War. The odds were completely in opposite for the Europeans, some even say it was the different of David and Goliath. The Europeans were so offended by the attacks made to their religion that the felt it was needed to stop or at least prolong the massacres. The effort of just war on the European side is evident because they were not expected to “win” and they went in to the war on a basis of defensive efforts. (source) (source) (source Google Books)
The definition of who “won” the Crusades is essentially non-existent. The efforts of the European were to make the Muslims become in a defensive mode and not and attacking one. This goal was accomplished. While the Muslims did not lose the Crusades because there was not a definite win. (source) (source Google Books)
The Crusades were a defensive measure. This defense was a result of the misuse on the Muslim part of the tradition of Jihad. They Muslims had killed, tortured, and destroyed people and cities. This was not keeping the theory of Just War and the Europeans kept this theory and retaliated in an effort to prevent the efforts of Jihad.“Without the Crusades it is questionable whether Europe or American would even exist.” (source) (source Google Books)
The Crusades to most people are seen as the mean European Christians trying to convert and remove the Muslims. However, this view is wrong just as the quote expresses; in reality the Muslims had used their tradition of jihad to convert many people which includes violence towards the innocent civilians. This is breaking the idea of Just War and as a defensive move the Europeans retaliated. (source) (source Google Books) (source Google Books)
“It was, moreover, the successful exploitation of the Jihad ideal which removed the alien presence of the Crusaders from Muslim soil” (source Google Books)
This explains the efforts of the Muslims. There are various situations that show how the Muslims were misusing their traditions of Jihad. They had already forcefully converted two thirds of the Christian world. They had kidnapped many other Christians in Caesarea and killed others from Amoriem. In 789, the Muslims beheaded the monk in Bethlehem and in 937 they went on a rampage on Palm Sunday setting fires to many Christian churches. As you can see the Christians and Jews were living under numerous threats for years and years because of the Jihad tradition. (source) (source)
“The crusaders were reacting to over four centuries of relentless Islamic Jihad, which had wiped out over 50% of all the Christians in the world and conquered over 60% of all the Christian lands on earth – before the crusades even began .“ (source)
The Crusades were in an effort for Just War. The odds were completely in opposite for the Europeans, some even say it was the different of David and Goliath. The Europeans were so offended by the attacks made to their religion that the felt it was needed to stop or at least prolong the massacres. The effort of just war on the European side is evident because they were not expected to “win” and they went in to the war on a basis of defensive efforts. (source) (source) (source Google Books)
The definition of who “won” the Crusades is essentially non-existent. The efforts of the European were to make the Muslims become in a defensive mode and not and attacking one. This goal was accomplished. While the Muslims did not lose the Crusades because there was not a definite win. (source) (source Google Books)
The Crusades were a defensive measure. This defense was a result of the misuse on the Muslim part of the tradition of Jihad. They Muslims had killed, tortured, and destroyed people and cities. This was not keeping the theory of Just War and the Europeans kept this theory and retaliated in an effort to prevent the efforts of Jihad.“Without the Crusades it is questionable whether Europe or American would even exist.” (source) (source Google Books)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Just War vs. Jihad
The Just War theory is accepted my many people today; however one instance where it is not is in the Islamic tradition of Jihad. These two ideas are essentially a huge contradiction. Throughout history the two being a contradiction at often times come into play, for instance like the Crusades, 9/11, and many others.
Just War is a theory created by St. Augustine of Hippo. He came to the conclusion that while yes there will always be war with man on the earth, the war should have certain guidelines. The theory is made up of three distinct parts the first is Jus ad Bellum, the second is Jus in Bello, and the third Jus post Bellum. The first one includes just cause, comparative justice, legitimate authority, right intention, probability of success, last resort, and proportionality. The second part is made up of different actions the countries must take while in war which includes distinction (combat only toward enemy soldiers, and not civilians), proportionality (anticipation on what the outcome will be), and military necessity (the limitation of excessive combat). Lastly the third concept is of ending the war properly. This includes just cause that you completed the mission, right intention good conditions and no revenge, public declaration (it is known), discrimination the truth is more important, and proportionality the allowance of human and country rights bust be kept. (source) (source)(Mattox)
The Islamic tradition of Jihad on the other hand is the exact opposite of this Just War theory. The Jihad in Arabic is a struggle and effort to strive and fight. This particular type of Jihad is the external form not internal. This Jihad is first referred to in the Qur’an and Muhammad, “suggests a war of conquest or conversion against all unbelievers.” The tradition of Jihad is often conveyed as and effort for the Muslims to have world control. This is a tradition of the Muslims and it is considered their duty to complete it. The Jihad over time has become unbelievably ruthless in the sense they attack everyone and through the idea of the Jihad can justify their actions, this meaning their actions are not just but trough this they can rationalize them. Through this many people have been affected by the aftermath of a Jihad attack. (source) (Spencer)
During the Medieval times there was an effort to stop the brutal expansion of Islamic religion through the efforts of the Jihad. Many times the Crusades are looked at as the mean Christians going up against the poor Muslims, but it was really not. It did not even have much effect on the Muslims. It is just like the current issue we have today in Iraq, it is not us Americans terrorizing them but it is us defending our self because they first made the attack on 9/11 killing many civilians and hurting thousands of innocent families. This is not and just way of condoning and attack according to the Just War theory but was justified by the Muslims because of their tradition of Jihad. The same concept goes with saying that during the medieval time the Muslims were not being right in their actions but they justified them. To all others their actions and justification of killing many were psychotic and to cruel so in retaliation we have the Crusades and the War in Iraq.
Throughout the last couple of weeks I have learned a lot about the two concepts of Just War and Jihad and have come to the conclusion that the two are at odds with each other and will always be. Throughout history there has been many wars just because of this conflict and as long as man is still on the earth there will be. While most of the world follows the concepts of the Just War the Muslims do not and when they cross the line in their actions others retaliate, this is seen in both the medieval Crusades and the modern day War in
Iraq
Book Sources:
Spencer, Robert. The Truth about Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion. Robert Spencer; Massachusetts, 2006.
Mattox, John Mark. Saint Augustine and the Theory of Just War. Continuum: New York;
2006.
Just War is a theory created by St. Augustine of Hippo. He came to the conclusion that while yes there will always be war with man on the earth, the war should have certain guidelines. The theory is made up of three distinct parts the first is Jus ad Bellum, the second is Jus in Bello, and the third Jus post Bellum. The first one includes just cause, comparative justice, legitimate authority, right intention, probability of success, last resort, and proportionality. The second part is made up of different actions the countries must take while in war which includes distinction (combat only toward enemy soldiers, and not civilians), proportionality (anticipation on what the outcome will be), and military necessity (the limitation of excessive combat). Lastly the third concept is of ending the war properly. This includes just cause that you completed the mission, right intention good conditions and no revenge, public declaration (it is known), discrimination the truth is more important, and proportionality the allowance of human and country rights bust be kept. (source) (source)(Mattox)
The Islamic tradition of Jihad on the other hand is the exact opposite of this Just War theory. The Jihad in Arabic is a struggle and effort to strive and fight. This particular type of Jihad is the external form not internal. This Jihad is first referred to in the Qur’an and Muhammad, “suggests a war of conquest or conversion against all unbelievers.” The tradition of Jihad is often conveyed as and effort for the Muslims to have world control. This is a tradition of the Muslims and it is considered their duty to complete it. The Jihad over time has become unbelievably ruthless in the sense they attack everyone and through the idea of the Jihad can justify their actions, this meaning their actions are not just but trough this they can rationalize them. Through this many people have been affected by the aftermath of a Jihad attack. (source) (Spencer)
During the Medieval times there was an effort to stop the brutal expansion of Islamic religion through the efforts of the Jihad. Many times the Crusades are looked at as the mean Christians going up against the poor Muslims, but it was really not. It did not even have much effect on the Muslims. It is just like the current issue we have today in Iraq, it is not us Americans terrorizing them but it is us defending our self because they first made the attack on 9/11 killing many civilians and hurting thousands of innocent families. This is not and just way of condoning and attack according to the Just War theory but was justified by the Muslims because of their tradition of Jihad. The same concept goes with saying that during the medieval time the Muslims were not being right in their actions but they justified them. To all others their actions and justification of killing many were psychotic and to cruel so in retaliation we have the Crusades and the War in Iraq.
Throughout the last couple of weeks I have learned a lot about the two concepts of Just War and Jihad and have come to the conclusion that the two are at odds with each other and will always be. Throughout history there has been many wars just because of this conflict and as long as man is still on the earth there will be. While most of the world follows the concepts of the Just War the Muslims do not and when they cross the line in their actions others retaliate, this is seen in both the medieval Crusades and the modern day War in
Iraq
Book Sources:
Spencer, Robert. The Truth about Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion. Robert Spencer; Massachusetts, 2006.
Mattox, John Mark. Saint Augustine and the Theory of Just War. Continuum: New York;
2006.
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