Roles of Religions in Conflict Crusade vs. The Holy War

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Roles of Religions in ConflictCrusade vs. The
Holy War

• Sridhar LakshmiNarasimha
• ECE 510
• EDGE Dr. Bruce Lusignan

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Outline

• Introduction
• Why use religion?
• World Religions
• Most Adherents
• Timeline
• Why the struggle?
• Holy Wars
• Present Day situation
• Jihad
• Crusade
• What started it all?
• Will it ever end?
• Is there a solution?
• Conclusion

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Introduction

• If there is one word that separates humans from
  humans, it is religion.
• From time immemorial, humans have been at war
  against their own brethren with religion almost
  always being the lone cause.
• The presentation here aims to throw some light
  onto what started it all and the present day
  situation.

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Introduction

• What is religion?
• It is a system of belief adopted by a set of
  people that usually prescribes a way of life
  for it followers in many aspects.
• The Encyclopedia of Religions defines it as
• Religion is the organization of life around the
  depth dimensions of experience varied in form,
  completeness, and clarity in accordance with the
  environing culture. Winston King

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Introduction

• Why use religion?
• As social construction
• Spiritual and Philosophical Guide
• To hypothesize unsolved scientific mysteries
  The end of science is the beginning of
  philosophy/religion
• Attach a non materialistic meaning to life.
• Idea of the Holy.
• Higher, objective truth.

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World Religions

• Christianity 2.1 billion
• Islam 1.3 billion
• Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist 1.1
  billion
• Hinduism 900 million
• Chinese traditional religion 394 million
• Buddhism 376 million
• primal-indigenous 300 million
• African Traditional Diasporic 100 million
• Sikhism 23 million
• Juche 19 million
• Spiritism 15 million
• Judaism 14 million
• Baha'i 7 million
• Jainism 4.2 million
• Shinto 4 million
• Cao Dai 4 million
• Zoroastrianism 2.6 million
• Tenrikyo 2 million
• Neo-Paganism 1 million

Courtesy www.adherents.com
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World Religions
Courtesy http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
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World Religions
Animism Christianity Hinduism Islam Buddhism Judai
sm
Courtesy http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum
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World Religions - Timeline
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Why the struggle?

• Why do religious beliefs conflict?
• Why would one direct their entire life towards
  pressing their religious opinion?
• Does the fight always have to be believers vs
  non-believers?
• Why would anyone or any religion prescribe war
  to their followers?
• Is it human ego?
• Will religion personify as the doom of the
  intelligent race?

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Jihad

• Derived from the Arabic word Jahada (struggle)
• Has come to mean an offensive war to be waged by
  Muslims against all non-Muslims to convert them
  to Islam on the pain of death.

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Jihad - Timeline

• The Jihad against Arabs (622 to 634)
• The Jihad against Zoroastrian Persians of Iran,
  Baluchistan and Afghanistan (634 to 651)
• The Jihad against the Byzantine Christians (634
  to 1453)
• The Jihad against Christian Coptic Egyptians (640
  to 655)
• The Jihad against Christian Coptic Nubians -
  modern Sudanese (650)
• The Jihad against pagan Berbers - North Africans
  (650 to 700)
• The Jihad against Spaniards (711 to 730)
• The Reconquista against Jihad in Spain (730 to
  1492)
• The Jihad against Franks - modern French (720 to
  732)
• The Jihad against Sicilians in Italy (812 to 940)
  
• The Jihad against Chinese (751)
• The Jihad against Turks (651 to 751)
• The Jihad against Armenians and Georgians (1071
  to 1920)
• The Crusade against Jihad (1096 1291 ongoing)
• The Jihad against Mongols (1260 to 1300)
• The Jihad against Hindus of India, Pakistan and
  Bangladesh (638 to 1857)
• The Jihad against Indonesians and Malays (1450 to
  1500)
• The Jihad against Poland (1444 to 1699)
• The Jihad against Rumania (1350 to 1699)

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Jihad in the Modern Age (20th and 21st Centuries)

• The Jihad against Israelis (1948 2004 ongoing)
• The Jihad against Americans (9/11/2001)
• The Jihad against the British (1947 onwards)
• The Jihad against the Germans (1945 onwards)
• The Jihad against the Indians (1947 onwards)
• The Jihad against the Filipinos in Mindanao(1970
  onwards)
• The Jihad against Indonesian Christians in Malaku
  and East Timor (1970 onwards)
• The Jihad against Russians (1995 onwards)
• The Jihad against Dutch and Belgians (2003
  onwards)
• The Jihad against Norwegians and Swedes (2003
  onwards)
• The Jihad against Thais (2003 onwards)
• The Jihad against Nigerians (1965 onwards)
• The Jihad against Canadians (2001 onwards)
• The Jihad against Latin America (2003 onwards)
• The Jihad against Australia (2002 onwards)
• The Global Jihad today (2001 ongoing)
• The War on Terror against Jihad today (2001
  ongoing)

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Holy Wars
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• Religion and War with a description of "Holy
  Wars" in Judiasm,Christianity, Islam, Hindu,
  faiths. (Budhism?) Also an overview of thecommon
  origin of the major religions and the preachings
  of peace andassistance for the poor by their
  founders.

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Present Day Situation

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The Crusaders

• Crusaders Terrorists reference to American
  and British soldiers.

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References

• http//www.historyofjihad.org/crusades.html
• http//www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.ht
  ml
• http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/
• http//vt.essortment.com/crusadesholywa_rhvy.htm