Islamic Aggression Prior To The Crusades

Isn’t contemporary aggression against its neighbors and terrorism merely the Islamic response to centuries of aggression by the Christian West against Islamic territories that began with the first Crusade in the eleventh century and continues to this day? This is the claim of Islamic clerics around the world who use this claim to justify Islamic terrorism and aggression against their neighbors. And in spite of the fact that thirteen of the fourteen ongoing major conflicts in the world today are Islamic wars against their neighbors (eleven of which are Islamic radicals attacking neighbors in third world countries who have nothing to do with America or Israel) this justification has become the mantra in politically correct circles in the west.

But is this true? Was Islam living peaceably with their neighbors prior to an unjustified attack on Islam by Christian Europe in what is known as the Crusades.? Well, not exactly. The Muslims after Muhammad’s death were inspired by his promise that, “the first army among my followers who will invade Caesar’s city (Constantinople) will be forgiven their sins.” (Muhammed Isbn Ismaiel Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari:The Translation of the Meanings, translated by Muhammad M Khan, Darussalam, 1997, vol. 4, book 56, no 2924). So, soon thereafter Muhammad’s death, his followers invaded the Byzantine Empire.

Here is the history of Islam initiating attacks upon and conquering its neighbors prior to the Crusades.

YEAR A.D. Victim of Islamic Aggression:

634 Muslim forces mounted a sea invasion of India.

635 Three years after Muhammad died, Damascus, the city where Paul the Apostle saw a vision of Christ and became a Christian, was conquered by the invading Muslims.

636 Umar, the caliph who ruled the empire of Islam from 634-644, conquered al-Basrah in Iraq. Umar commanded his lieutent Utbah ibn Ghazwan to give conquered unbelieversMuhammad: “Summon the people to God; those who respond to your call, accept it from them, but those who refuse must pay the poll tax out of humiliation and lowliness. If they refuse this, it is the sword without leniency.” (The History of al-Tabari, XII: The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine, traslated by Yohanan Friedman (New York: State University of New York Press, 1992), 167. Cited in Andrew Bostom, “The Legacy of Jihad in Palestine,” FrontPage Magazine.com, December 7, 2004.

637 Antioch where Jesus’ disciples were first called “Christians” was invaded and defeated.

638 Jerusalem, a Christian city at the time, fell.

639 In December, the invasion of Egypt was begun by general Amr.

642 Alexandria fell in November, placing the vast majority of Egypt under Muslim rule.

648 (approx.) Christian Armenia fell to the Muslims.

650 Cilicia and Caesarea of Cappadocia were conquered by the Muslims.

In Europe, Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, and Sicily were attacked by Muslims who carried off thousands of slaves.

668 Muslims laid siege to Constantinople, the greatest city of Eastern Christendom.

Muslim armies raced through Christian North Africa, and by 711 Muslim armies were in a position to invade Spain.

700 At the beginning of the 8^th century, Muslim invaders went into current day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

715 Muslim armies were close to conquering all of Spain (which they held for over 700 years until 1492 when the reconquista entirely recaptured the nation).

717 Muslims again laid siege to Constantinople, the greatest city of Eastern Christendom.

732 The Muslims since taking most of Spain in 715 had been pushing into France until Charles Martel stopped them in 732 in the city of Tours.

792 The Muslims, however, did not give up on conquering France. Hisham, the ruler of Muslim Spain, called for a new jihad into France and Muslims worldwide enthusiastically responded with a great army that did much damage in France before being driven back.

827 Muslim Jihadists attacked both Sicily and Italy. They held Sicily until 1091 when the Normans drove them out.

846 Muslim invaders reached Rome where they coerced a promise of tribute from the Pope, but their hold on Italy was never strong.

848 Another Muslim army invaded France and did significant damage.

1071 The Muslim Seljuk Turks conquered the Byzantine Empire’s armies at the Armenian town of Manzikert, opening the way to Muslim occupation of almost all of Asia Minor, some of the most important lands in all of Christendom.

1206 Muslim invaders in India had conquered the Punjab, Sindh, Delhi, and the Doab up to Kanauj. Later waves of Muslim invaders pushed their holdings to the Ganges and beyond.

Of course, all these attacks by Muslims on other lands and peoples, except those in India, preceded the Crusades and any hostility from the Christian world directed at Muslims. The Crusades in fact were a long delayed—for 4 centuries—response by Christendom to the unprovoked attacks by Islam on the world of Christianity and of other world religions.