Is Islam in its crusade period?
86777
It's not Islam.  It's the state of Muslim nations which is in a struggle for freedom.  Muslim nations have directly and indirectly been, and in some cases, continue to be colonized by Western Nations.\n\nMuslims have not been able to fully practice their beliefs in about 100 years.  In many cases they have been oppressed by tyrranical regimes that are supported, militarily and economically, by Western countries.\n\nAs a result, desperation and extremism have been allowed to flourish in some parts of these countries.  If history is any indication, once these people are able to rule themselves by the Islamic Shari'a (jurisprudence), they will not have any animosity against anyone.\n\nWhat we are seeing today is reactionary.  If the West, especially the U.S., was to implement a more even-handed, fair, and truly pro-democratic foreign policy, there would not be a need for such extremist reactions.  Unfortunately, so far the West has viewed the Middle East as a region to serve interest of the West, even if it went against the interest of people of the Middle East.\n\nI must say that it is arrogant to think that what pleases the West (i.e. materialism) will be the answer that will please Muslim nations.  Not to mention, absolute freedom infringes on the borders of morality that Muslims live by. This is philosophical and idealogical colonialism at its worst, which is more dangerous than military and economic imperialism.\n\nWho are we to think that they're jealous of us?  If anything, Pope Benedict was correct in saying that Muslims criticize the West for marginalizing God and religion in everyday life.  The West is in dire need for an idealogical renaissance.  Morality has been replaced with greed and selfishness.  As a result, we say 'democracy' but act in the most fascist manner.\n\nIt's time for us in the West to wake up.  The presence of extremism in the world indicates that we are also extreme, but in the opposite direction.  We need to start refocusing on God, human rights, family, and the global community.  Then, and only then, will we not taste the sour fruits of our seeds.
832697
To the Muslim Jihadists the crusades never ended, the Christians (west) just retreated.  The Jihadists believe they came back when the UK and France split up the Ottoman Empire during WWI and they think of the state of Israel as a nation of the west.  To the Jihadists the crusades never ended.
445818
Muslims have waged war against non-muslims for some 1400 years now, ever since islam began. While they (or their "leaders) may say they dont feel safe, it is all words. It would be better off put that muslims will not feel safe until they have converted the entire planet to islam.\nNot too suprisingly, other people dont want to convert to islam...\n\nbak2the - just to let you know, muslims DO demand that you become a muslim and during a muslim wedding, the non-muslim wife (as women are not allowed to marry non-muslim men) is AUTOMATICALLY converted to islam during the ceremony.\n\ntheluke - You really need to study world affairs before you state that islam ONLY hates the usa and england... indeed islam is attacking many non western countries, from the sudan were 200,000 christians were murdered by muslims, to thialand, to the phillipeens, to india... and other countries as well. Islam is attacking all over the planet, This behavior has nothing to do with the "west" as it has been going on since 1400 years ago.
433177
Yes, I have gotten a straight answer from Muslims, when I ask a serious question and want a serious response.\n\nYou see, you are looking for a specific answer.  You are not really looking for a "straight answer," you are looking to have your personal opinion justified.   The answers you are looking for is: "Islam sucks," and "Muhammed was an evil, no-good, stupid doody head."   No Muslim is going to give you that kind of answer.  And no reasonable non-Muslim is going to give you that kind of an answer either.  Why?  Because Muslims believe in their religion.  And because Islam, when practiced by reasonable people, is a peaceful and loving religion.\n\nPeople point out that "X and Y does it too" because Muslims do not have the market cornered on radical, fundamental, irrational, violent religious craziness.  There is violent passages in the Torah and Bible.  The Judaeo-Christian god instructs believers to kill non-believers.  Slavery, pederasty, incest, rape - all these are in the Torah and the Bible, and is not condemned.  The point of it is, there are faithful Jews and Christians who do not go around doing these things because they understand that this was written a long time ago, that times have changed, and that these are metaphorical and symbolic guides to living your life.  Muslims today understand that the Quran was written a long time ago, and that times have changed, and that it is a metaphorical and symbolic guide to living life.  Most Muslims choose to interpret the Quran in a peaceful, loving and reasonable way.\n\nMuch of what the West understands about Muslims comes from what we see on television, what is going on in the Middle East.  The Middle East is a politically, socially and economically unstable region right now.  Fundamentalist religious wackos flourish in this kind of chaotic environment.  However, it is not due so much to the religion, as to poverty, political destabilization, etc.  In other words, if there was the same kind of circumstances in, say, Europe, you would be seeing Christian or Jewish wackos on the television right now as opposed to Muslim wackos.
486022
Yes Islamic conflicts are on the rise but if you see word history, conflicts have always been there only the reason keeps changing. Its more to do with human mind that seek conquering others rather than co haboting with it. If you drop your hatred and think, you too are no different than islamic violence! If u hate an 'apple' with equal intensity as a person who loves an 'apple' your relation is as strong
594450
i look at it this way...for Muslims, the year is somewhere in the 1400's. look at Christianity in the 1400's- inquisitions, mass burnings of people, church rule of the state, etc. \n\nislam has a way to go yet, perhaps, as far as flexibility, human rights, and so on. heck, christians *still* have their share of violent nuts running around, issuing "jesus fatwas" against people they don't like (think pat robertson) in this day and age. give it a while, and give Muslims room to talk openly with non-Muslims about their faith and their experiences with Islam.  \n\nperhaps there's a middle way to be found in the future, one which everyone can agree upon.
182402
You must put the Crusades in perspective- we hadn't gone through an enlightenment yet. So Christians were no worse or better than anyone else at that time.\n\nToday, the Muslims are the ones who are way behind the rest of the world in terms of civilization.
429956
Yes and no. Depends on which part of the church body. The Crusades took place because the Roman Catholic Church translated the Bible into Latin, locked it up behind gates and said, "Thus and thus is what God says." From this we got inquisitions, crusades, indulgences and the like.\n\nWhen the reformation translated the Bible into German and English, the average person could stand up to the evil popery and say "No!" for the Bible says thus and thus. Then the killing and fleecing soon stopped.
513905
no it was christians who had crusades who killed indiscrimitaly and took their land who really started with terroism. the cathlic church burning and torturing people to convert have killed more people than any muslim nation. I am cathlic so I know our history.
334533
Probably. Islam is a very aggressive religion. Of all of the wars/conflicts in the world, something like 95% of the at least ONE if not BOTH sides are Muslim. If you read about what people are doing to innocent women and children in places like Algeria, Sudan, Indonesia in the name of Islam it's bad(cutting the throats of whole families if they don't observe Islam as devoutly as they should, burn torture to enslaved christian children if they refuse to learn Islam, etc....)
408478
Islam condemns all the violence which happened in the Crusades, in Spain, in WW II, or by acts of people like the Rev. Jim Jones, David Koresh, Dr. Baruch Goldstein, or the atrocities committed in Bosniaby the Christian Serbs. Anyone who is doing violence is not practicing his religion at that time. However, sometimes violence is a human response of oppressed people as it happens in Palestine. Although this is wrong, they think of this as a way to get attention. There is a lot of terrorism and violence in areas where there is no Muslim presence. For example, in Ireland, South Africa, Latin America, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes the violence is due to a struggle between those who have with those who do not have, or between those who are oppressed with those who are oppressors. We need to find out why people become terrorists. Unfortunately, the Palestinians who are doing violence are called terrorists, but not the armed Israeli settlers when they do the same sometimes even against their own people. As it turned out to be in the Oklahoma City bombing, sometime Muslims are prematurely blamed even if the terrorism is committed by non-Muslims. Sometimes those who want Peace and those who oppose Peace can be of the same religion. \n\nLastly I would like to quote from the Holy Quran\n\n[Chapter 5, verse 32], that "anyone who saves one life, it is as if he has saved the whole of mankind and anyone who has killed another person (except in lieu of murder or mischief on earth) it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind." \n\nIf you have any question please e-mail me at askmuslims1@yahoo.com or visit my site http://askmuslims.com and learn the basics of Islam.
933329
This would seem an absurd notion. For one just as Christianity & Judaism are divided into multiple sects  So to is Islam divided into two major sects and several minor ones like the Druse of Lebanon. Islam is far from a monolith. In fact Islam was one of the more tolerant of the 3 major Mono-theistic  faiths through much of it's history. In fact during the Spanish Inquisition many of Europe's Jews Fled to Muslim Turkey where they were allowed to to practice freely.\n\nThat said Islam has always had a more militant element than either Christianity or Judaism. Fundamentalist within Islam Have used this militant past to justify a resurgence of militant  behavior in order to reestablish regional caliphates and ultimately the the goal is to reestablish the grand caliphate which would reunite all Muslims under one faith and institute Sharia Law throughout the Muslim world. Many, if not most, of the Islamic fundamentalist sects reject outright the broader interpretation of Jihad as an inner struggle to surrender to the will of Allah. They favor the more literal interpretation of Jihad which is Literally force surrender to Allah's will.\nIn Sum, Are most Muslims terrorist likely not But if you ask are most Fundamentalist Muslims in support of terror and other forceful means the answer would be yes.
199722
keep in mind that spain was conquered by the Muslims in 7th century and recapured before the crusades in 1200's
517494
Islam is a false copycat religion it copy's Judaism in many points. It is nothing Like Christianity. Where it differs, Judaism is based on living a life of Righteousness before God and loving your fellow man. Islam is based on hate, violence, and revenge. To this day if a Muslim converts to another religion he/she will be killed. That why Muslims strap bombs to their back and kill innocent people in the name of their god. I ask what kind of god would tell someone to do that. Only a devil would, is the only correct answer. \n\nJudaism was given to Moses by God, where Islam was form by a man therefore false its a made-man religion. Judaism has been around for thousands of years, historical you will NEVER find a trace of Islam before 600 AD.\n\nThe only reason Islam spread as quickly as it did Muslims would go to a non-Muslim village and give the people a choice convert or die. Once they converted they were given another choice help us to convert the world to Islam or die. That's were the crusades come in when Islam started pushing its way into Europe by convert one village at a time European Christian stood up against the army of Muslims and pushed them back into the Middle East. When that happen Muslim changes directions and headed into Asia and down into Africa.\n\nThe bottom line is Islam is false religion and only a Idiot would believe in it.  Study history pal!
190214
Terrorism has always existed in one form or another.  As for the modern Jihad, they've been around since Mohammad created the religion of Islam.\n\nRead the Koran.  It continually not only advocates, but requires the use of force to convert the world to Islam.  Defeated non-Believers are given the choice to convert, die, or live as third class citizens (dhimmis)
1170779
No. A land is governed by Islam only if it follows Islamic law. So even many "Muslim countries" today are not governed by Islam.
619612
I am not sure what the Islamic Empire is, but I know the Ottoman Empire was around for a long time up to the end of WWI...