The Crusades all started because the Christians had lost the Holy Land to the Muslims. Thus, the Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Urban II, said for his people to fight to the death for Jerusalem. Jerusalem was rightfully that of the Church and not people who did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Thus the first Crusade started against Western Europe (Spain, France, and other followers of the Roman Catholic Church) and the Middle-East as well as Muslim followers in 1095-1099. Pope Urban said that, “Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join a war against the Turks, promising those who died in the endeavor would receive immediate remission of their sins.” (Wikipedia) In the picture below, it showed how the Christians had won their first battle against the Muslims and that Godfrey of Bouillon had taken over Jerusalem.
However, the question that poses now is the fact that the tables have turned and the Muslims are fighting against the Christians because it is their “Jihad” to get rid of the infidels. The “Jihad” is the Holy War that the Muslims have been told to fight against the infidels such as America to advance the rein of Islam. (Wikipedia) How is this different from the Crusade that the Christians almost one thousand years ago? Christians and the Western world do not think that they have ever had something such as a Jihad and something like what happened on September eleventh. However, the Crusades that happened about 200 years had killed thousands, and maybe even millions of people. The Christians had a “Jihad” just as the Muslims do now, but it happened so long ago that no one seems to mention it now. But, it is the same idea; A holy war that with every person who dies on the right side, will go to heaven for the sake of religion.
Works Citied:
http://icp.ge.ch/po/cliotexte/le-moyen-age/dossier-islam/Dossier-islam_fichiers/image007.jpg
Legio I Lynx Fulminata 
