The idea of a holy war is just really perplexing to me. I feel that, regardless of the differences in religion, violence is never the answer. It saddens me that either side felt like it was necessary to resort to hurting one another. I think Fredrick II and al-Kamil had it right (pg. 302). There's no need to shed any blood. Sharing is more holy than violence.
pg. 282: "These solider monks embodied the two great passions of the new Europe, war and worship, and they quickly attracted new recruits."
It seems like worship was just an excuse for war. Blood lust appeared to be more powerful than any doctrinal teachings of Christianity. War and worship never go together. They are mutually exclusive. I guess that's my exclusive truth claim.
pg. 285: : "The Crusaders were not breaking down the barrier of hatred that now existed between Western Christianity and Islam but erecting massive stone walls against their neighbors."
We're still doing this today. Defending your nation from terrorism is one thing, but not at the point where it divides a city in two and does more to generate terrorism than diffuse it. This would appear to be a place where the modern Israeli government has fallen down on the job. They have fallen into the old Crusader problem of building walls instead of tearing them down and figuring out the issues that exist between them.
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Documenting the life abroad...
The Slightly Timid Traveler and the life abroad
Starting in September 2008, I will be living, studying and working in London. I'll be there through December. This blog is to help me stay in touch with my friends and family at home, and to document my trip.
I look forward to your comments and suggestions!
I look forward to your comments and suggestions!
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2 comments:
It sucks that Israel has gotten to the point where self-defense provokes more violence. It's counter-intuitive and very frustrating.
Keeping in mind, though, that Israelis tried living for 50+ years without barriers and had to face Syrian shelling from the Golan, scud Missiles from Iraq, and Egyptian-sponsored raids coming from Jordan. Just to name a few of the threats Israel faced while trying to make peace and gain some legitimacy in the region...
I completely understand that Israel has faced threats in the past, and now. That is completely true and I would never try to devalue the importance of that. But part of me will never appreciate the value of a wall or a check point. A lot of me thinks these things just make the threat of attack worse. It's like goading your enemies. And beyond that, the political landscape of the Middle East has changed. It's time for the Israeli response to evolve as well.
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