Religion and Conflict. The Crusades

Throughout history, religion has been at the heart of many disputes between populations, countries, and cultures. In some cases, the parties to the dispute have been representatives of two religious groups; in others, religious adherents have come into conflict with secular authority.

The Crusades. It is not uncommon for religious strife to lead to violent armed conflict. In some cases, wars have been fought over control of specific places deemed holy. The ongoing struggle between Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Middle East has long revolved around the control of various places in the historic region of Palestine, now divided between Israel and Jordan. For centuries, Jerusalem has been the scene of fierce fighting among Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

After Muhammed's death. Islam diffused rapidly throughout Southwest Asia. North Africa, and neighboring areas. Its spread was facilitated by strong incentives to gain converts. Muslims believed that warriors killed in religious conflicts would ascend directly to heaven. Within less than two centuries. Islam had spread throughout large areas of Africa. Asia, and Europe (Figure 5-13).

Figure 5-13 The Diffusion of Islam. Within a century after the death of Muhammed, Islam had spread throughout much of the Middle East. North Africa, and Asia. Although Muslims dominated Spain and Portugal for several centuries, they were repulsed in their attempts to take over France

During the Middle Ages, a series of wars known as the Crusades occurred between Christians and Muslims. The primary issue was control of the Holy Land. Christian Crusaders were successful in capturing the holy city of Jerusalem in 1099. Over the next 150 years. Christian and Muslim forces contested control of the city, until the Muslims captured Palestine in 1244.

The Crusades drained much of the resources of Europe, which at that time lacked the scientific and economic strength of Muslim-dominated Southwest Asia. In the long run. however, the Crusades proved to be an economic boon to Europe. The Crusaders brought many new ideas, technologies, and products back to Europe, stimulating the growth of international trade and pushing European civilization into the Renaissance.

Religion and Conflict in South Asia. The Indian subcontinent has been the setting of religiouswars for many centuries. Conflict between Hindus andMuslims Was widespread in India long before the Britishtook possession of India. Once the British decided togrant independence to the Indian colony, conflict betweenHindu and Muslim factions led to the partition of theIndian subcontinent along religious lines. Hindu-dominatedterritories became India, and the Muslim-dominated territories became the separate state of Pakistan.

The British partition of India created a large refugee problem. Once the boundaries between Pakistan and India had been delineated, millions of people found themselves on the "wrong" side of the partition line. Their subsequent movement was one of the great mass migrations of recent history. Seven million Muslims moved from India to Pakistan, while 10 million Hindus left Pakistan for India.

The partition of India failed to eliminate conflict between Hindus and Muslims, however. Part of the ongoing conflict has involved control of disputed territory. India and Pakistan remain engaged in a continuing and occasionally violent conflict over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Within India, some Hindu leaders have demanded that Hindu religious principles be incorporated into Indian civil law. Although the partition of the Indian subcontinent placed over 95 percent of the world's Hindu population under a single government, nearly 20 percent of India's population adheres to Islam or other faiths.

In fact, there are nearly one hundred million Muslims in India, giving that country one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. Its constitution specifies that India is a secular state, but many Hindus believe that it should be revised to incorporate Hindu principles more directly. Many argue that the state should ban cow slaughter because the Hindu religion regards cattle as sacred.