As religious zeal and sectarian strife set the opening years of the
new millennium ablaze, they ushered in the latest chapter of a
story that began centuries ago. From Bali to Beirut, we have
inherited an idea that is as old as religion itself: killing in the
name of God.
In this engrossing book, renowned historian Christopher
Catherwood vividly recounts a saga of passion, prejudice, and
imperialism that laid the foundation for our own troubled age.
Beginning in the year 632, Muhammad--as much political leader and
general as prophet--commenced the breathtaking spread of Islam
that, under his successors, eventually conquered an empire larger
than Rome's at its height. Even as this vast realm broke apart into
Sunni and Shiite factions, the Christian retaliation--ruthlessly
and unscrupulously unleashed in 1095 with the First
Crusade--sparked a clash between East and West that continues to
this day.
The pattern would repeat itself again and again with the Ottoman
invasion of the Balkans, in which the same Islamic faith that had
once been an institution for tolerance in places like Spain became
an instrument of expansion;the wars of the Reformation, when
Catholic and Protestant slaughtered each other in the name of the
Prince of Peace;and the endless conflicts of the modern Middle
East, savagely fought over by three faiths that all worship the
same God.
As the author re-examines these devastating struggles, he
answers questions that are timeless, vital, and unsettling. Based
on exhaustive research and written with an unflinching, unbiased
eye toward revealing the often painful truth, "Making War in the
Name of God" unveils humanity's ancient habit of sanctifying
bloodshed--and exposes a past that we forget at our peril.
Christopher Catherwood teaches history at Cambridge University
in England and at the University of Richmond (Virginia). A fellow
of the Royal Historical Society, he is the author of several
acclaimed books, including "Churchill's Folly: How Winston
Churchill Created Modern Iraq. "
Thirteen Centuries of Holy War
Christian versus Muslim. Sunni verses Shiite. Catholic versus
Protestant. Why does humanity make war in the name of God? From the
first Jihads of the seventh century and the Crusades of the Middle
Ages, to the wars of the Reformation and the sectarian terrorism of
today, acclaimed scholar Christopher Catherwood traces the
fascinating history of holy war, revealing complexities and
subtleties that are vital to understanding a subject that continues
to divide us. The result is a fascinating look at the past that has
forged our violent present--and a sobering look at the strange and
terrifying connection between war and religion.
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