Monday, October 15, 2007

Crusade

Palestine. Occupation. Checkpoints. Armed soldiers firing on rock-throwing teens.

Afghanistan. Occupation. Continued fighting. Increased opium. Civilians killed. Countryside destabilized. Endless war.

Iraq. Occupation. Continued fighting. Ruined infrastructure. Civilians killed. Nation destabilized. Civil war. No end in sight.

Iran. Nuclear power. Saber rattling.

Who's next? Syria? Pakistan? Sudan?

The Crusades began in 1066 with a speech by Pope Urban II. They have never ended.

2 comments:

bkgodfrey said...

Perhaps you should read about Vienna.

Jamilah Kolocotronis said...

You have a good point. On the other hand, the siege of Vienna was in 1683. That was 600 years after the beginning of the Crusades (I'm always struck by the statement that, during the Crusader conquest of Jerusalem, blood flowed up to the knees). It was also nearly 200 years after the fall of Muslim Spain (for which the Muslims do bear some responsibility) and the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition.

My point is that by then warfare had clearly been chosen as a preferred means of communication between Christians and Muslims. I'm not saying it was right, only that it was. I have mixed feelings about the Ottoman Empire because my heritage is Greek and my ancestor, Theodoros Kolokotrones (or Kolocotronis), had a large role in driving the Ottomans out of Greece.

Personally, I prefer communication and understanding. Most of relatives are Christians. I wish I could convince more of our leaders to solve differences peacefully.