Subjects:
Since Islam came into being, it has clashed numerously with the already
established Christianity. Their rivalry has never ceased until today. Modern
Examples would be Bosnia and Lebanon. There were not only military clashes
but political as well as economical. Although, the rivalry was incredibly intense,
ironically, Arabic or Islamic culture managed to severely influence the Christian
kingdoms. However, Christianity used all the advantages provided by Islam to
their advantage and through that they managed to keep the Arabs at bay.
Islamic civilization and its rise were thanks to one man and that is the last
prophet, Prophet Muhammad. Islam came into being in 622AD and it was the last
of the great civilizations. Islam managed to push the Arabs into a new kind of
Unity , which at the same time spread far beyond Arabia, Persians, Indians,
North African countries and parts of Europe came under its domination.
The Arabs managed to capture most of the most powerful economic
areas. In the Mediterranean their navy conquered Cyprus and crippled Byzantine
sea power. They first clashed with the Christians when they tried to besiege
. . .
encouraging the crusaders apart from economics. The Christians thought the first
crusade was an immense success. He forebade the
use of images in Eastern churches and tried to enforce the ban in the West, even
though his efforts insulted the Western churches. The third crusade, in the 12th
century, enlisted the most powerful Western rulers like King Richard the lion
heart of England. The
nobility also recognized the vast amounts of fortunes they could make in these
wars. ( Craig, Graham, Kagan, Turner, The heritage of western civ. Pp 347-350 )
In 1187, Saladin reconquered Jerusalem. The reply in three years was the launch of the first
Crusades. They tried to conquer France but the Franks under the leader
Charles Martel handed the Arabs their first defeat. Trade between the Eastern and Western side
of the world was one of the greatest interactions between the two. ( Jacobs, Fisher, Einzholdt, Islamic Heritage, Pp 235-241)
The conclusion, which I have come by, is that Islam and Christianity
had nothing against each other except for economics and power.
The first crusade was a risky venture. The aggressiveness of the Arabs forced
western Europeans to rely on their own resources and to develop their own
heritage and culture.
Essay's Topics
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