The Crusades, Revisited

There are people who call the War on Terror yet another chapter in the Crusades. And they are correct, though not necessarily in the way they mean it.

Several Islamic communities in Memphis, USA established themselves without incident, but try establishing a Southern Baptist community in Memphis, Egypt. A woman with a burqa in a predominately Jewish neighborhood need not worry too much about her safety, but try being a woman with a Star of David in a predominately Islamic neighborhood. After the Crusades, Christians and also Jews learned from the horror, yet the Islamists (not to be confused with progressive Muslims) did not. Their ideological descendents declared Vienna, of all places, as a future terrorist target because of its role in pushing back Islamic imperialism. You never see Chinese nationalists blowing up London schools as retaliation for the Opium Wars, but there are forces out there still fighting the Crusades, and they fully intend to win this time.

One of the best writers on the WOT is Canadian conservative Mark Steyn, and two of his best articles appear reprinted on Free Republic (it is the Republican equivalent of Democratic Underground, so you may want to stop reading before you reach the comment sections). His most important observation is that These Guys Want to Kill Us Anyway, though he also cautions readers to Place Blame Where It Belongs.

There are Muslims trying to make a difference for the better. And more outspoken moderates like them would go a long way toward easing tensions.

Another major issue--the key issue, some say--is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Historian Victor Davis Hanson touches on this several times in the September Question Log on his site. Scroll down to see his response to an Arab-American's question about America's policy toward Israel.

You know, can't we all just get along?