Rating: 
Summary: President G.W. Bush: The reincarnation of Pope Innocent?
Review: "Islam, as we have seen, is no more violent than either Judaism or Christianity and indeed set a pattern of peaceful coexistence and conquest early in its history. What the Western scholars of the 12th century were doing was creating a fantasy that had very little to do with Islam, but which had a great deal to do with the problem of Christianity's violence...
...The Muslim became the hated shadow-self of the Western Christian, hated therefore with an irrational and neurotic intensity."
Karen Armstrong
HOLY WAR
"1146-1148"
"[Pope] Innocent now felt that there was no other solution to the problem but the sword, and on November 17, 1207, he wrote to King Philip Augustus urging him to take an army to fight the heretics in the region of Languedoc, offering him indulgences that were similar to those given to people who went on a Crusade to the Holy Land to fight the Muslims...
"Innocent's dealings with the Catharists [a mystical sect of Christianity that grew to become Catholicism's greatest rival in the 13th century] had shown the hidden insecurity of the 13th century Church...
"It is at this point that Innocent reminds us forcibly of modern leaders and statements denouncing 'terrorists' as inhuman monsters who are a peril to humanity and must be annihilated, but completely ignoring the part that they or their clients have played in producing the situation that made some people desperate enough to resort to terrorism..."
HOLY WAR
"1199-1221: Crusades Against Christians
and a new Christian Peace"
(1991 Edition)
Just when you thought virtually all of the ways of being in the modern world--psychological, cultural, economic and political--came bursting into consciousness like fireworks in either the technology of the 20th century or the nationalism of the 19th, Armstrong reveals that to be one of the biggest and most destructive myths of our time. In HOLY WAR, Karen Armstrong shows the paradoxically religious and inhumanly violent shadow psyche of the Western European world to be born not during the age of the Enlightenment or soon after, but in the bowels of Western culture that was the period of transformation from the Dark Ages to the Middle Ages--the tenth through the thirteenth century. Europe as we know Europe to be was born through hate, religious intolerance and murder as much as anything else.
Armstrong's contention is that the Crusades of Europe, begun by Pope Urban in 1095 in order to unify the warring uncivilized factions of Western Europe with a war against Muslims to "liberate" Jerusalem, gave birth to this Western identity that exists to the present day--and with it Anti-Semitism, racism, religious intolerance, misogyny, romantic views of mass envy and willful ignorance regarding higher civilizations, and the worshipping of a military aristocracy as the foundation of culture.
Armstrong proves her point beautifully, as one would expect of a former nun turned theologian and world class historian. But what makes her historical analysis so powerful is how she bridges the gulf between history and psychology such that HOLY WAR shows the hidden irrational impulses that influence and sometimes govern much of foreign policy in today's world.
The parallels between Pope Innocent and President George Bush, Jr. are unavoidable, particularly as this book was first written before the Gulf War invasion, some twelve years before his presidency. Pope Innocent demanded a Crusade against other Christians--built on the pre-established paradigm meant for Muslims--for fear of his morally shaky Catholic empire being religiously de-legitimized by a more devout sect. His power and public appearance, dissipating as moral questions remained unanswered, became once again solidified through nations caught up in a deeply immoral but psychologically justified war against those now called unbelievers. The transformation of George Bush Jr. from inept leader for whom his competence and the very legitimacy of his presidency was in further question as the economy continued to go south in the first few months of his presidency, to post-Sept. 11 war hero against "(Islamic) Terrorism" (with a successful remilitarization of the American economy in the process) is too frighteningly similar to Pope Innocent's politics of Holy War to ignore--particularly considering how dissent within the country is not being tolerated in the streets or in the press. As such our Administration's motivations for the Iraqi war (as well as the pre-planned mounting tensions with Syria and Iran) come into new question, as does the logic of the portion of the country that supports it. Armstrong makes it obvious that our current Crusade against terrorism, obviously desperately needed for both the codependent American psyche and war-dependent Military Industrial Complex in light of the completed Crusade against Communism, is simply that: just another Crusade. Another Crusade in a nine hundred year history of waging war on the Middle East and others in order to refortify the Western sense of identity and political/economic power, underneath a new set of justifications. Perpetual war...for perpetual peace. This hidden shadow psyche of our culture, deeply lodged within the unconscious of both much of Europe and America, is what is being put to good use by the Oil conglomerates of today (of which Bush's entire cabinet is in bed with in one way or another), and coloring our perception of our entire world.
Armstrong is a meticulous and scholarly writer whose mastery of the subject matter is almost overwhelming. At times, however, she reveals the inevitable biases of her British roots, despite her erudition leading her toward objectivity. I give the book four stars for this, instead of five. The four stars however are powerfully earned, considering how she pivots across the centuries from the Richard the Lionhearted to Ronald Reagan, to prove her transtemporal points about the consciousness of Holy War and its effect on the modern mind.
An incredible book.
Rating: 
Summary: WHAT???
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343)After reading Holy War, you will have a solid understanding of the history of conflict between Islam and the West. The book is primarily focused on the Crusades that occurred during the Middle Ages, but there are also chapters about more recent issues, such as the founding of the modern state of Israel. Armstrong's account of the Crusades is richly detailed. The author explores the political and philosophical trends that gave rise to the Crusades. The complex interactions between the Catholic Church, European royalty, and commoners are discussed at length. In addition, the book gives the reader a good sense of what the daily lives of the crusaders were like. Like other readers, I did disagree with some of the conclusions that Ms. Armstrong reaches concerning the political problems in the Middle East of the 20th Century. However, it is possible to enjoy "Holy War" as a historical narrative even if one disagrees with some of the author's ultimate conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: The Crusades In-Depth
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343) After reading Holy War, you will have a solid understanding of the history of conflict between Islam and the West. The book is primarily focused on the Crusades that occurred during the Middle Ages, but there are also chapters about more recent issues, such as the founding of the modern state of Israel. Armstrong's account of the Crusades is richly detailed. The author explores the political and philosophical trends that gave rise to the Crusades. The complex interactions between the Catholic Church, European royalty, and commoners are discussed at length. In addition, the book gives the reader a good sense of what the daily lives of the crusaders were like. Like other readers, I did disagree with some of the conclusions that Ms. Armstrong reaches concerning the political problems in the Middle East of the 20th Century. However, it is possible to enjoy "Holy War" as a historical narrative even if one disagrees with some of the author's ultimate conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: The Crusades In-Depth
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343) After reading Holy War, you will have a solid understanding of the history of conflict between Islam and the West. The book is primarily focused on the Crusades that occurred during the Middle Ages, but there are also chapters about more recent issues, such as the founding of the modern state of Israel. Armstrong's account of the Crusades is richly detailed. The author explores the political and philosophical trends that gave rise to the Crusades. The complex interactions between the Catholic Church, European royalty, and commoners are discussed at length. In addition, the book gives the reader a good sense of what the daily lives of the crusaders were like. Like other readers, I did disagree with some of the conclusions that Ms. Armstrong reaches concerning the political problems in the Middle East of the 20th Century. However, it is possible to enjoy "Holy War" as a historical narrative even if one disagrees with some of the author's ultimate conclusions.
Rating: 
Summary: A great perspective
Review: ...I recently came across Karen Armstrong's _Holy War_,
which is a book I recommend wholeheartedly. The book's basic thesis
is that there is a strong connection between the Crusades from 1096
to 1300AD and the modern-day conflict between the Muslim, Jewish
and Christian worlds today. The book makes this argument very
convincingly and in a well-written, engaging style to boot. The
book was written in 1988, but has been re-released with a new
Introduction that discusses the 9/11 attacks and points but
Dubya's really, REALLY poor choice of the word "Crusade" to describe
the War on Terrorism. The book doesn't look at the military, or economic perspectives
of the various monotheistic holy wars, but rather the religious and emotional underpinnings of those wars (interestingly enough, all three religions
have a strong "Holy War" tradition - it's not just Islam). The real gem of this book is that it attempts to view the conflict
from the three perspectives of the religions in question - and deconstructs
many myths and misunderstandings that the various religious sides have
had with regards to one another... Karen does a pretty fair
treatment of all three sides, not overly biased with one side or another,
but emphasizes the story which differs from the standard Western History we learn here in the US. She then ties the Crusading experience with more modern conflicts such
as the multiple Arab-Israeli wars, the Camp David Accords (and the
assassination of Sadat), the Iranian Revolution, the Israeli
invasion of Lebanon, the rebirth of "jihad" in this century, and the
intefadah in the 1980s, etc. The book has been a real eye opener on many fronts, and if you'd
like to try and "get in the shoes" and see the conflict from
multiple perspectives, and not just read the headlines but
really put multiple centuries of context to them, you'll
really want this book... she takes all three sides
to task at various times - but even if that is the case, it's
useful in that it takes the reader out of the Western dogma, and
more perspectives can't help but increase understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Bored to tears
Review: An incredibly boring book. I read 339 of the 539 pages hoping all the time that it would get better, but it just doesn't. The book also shows a bias to the Muslim side of the arguments. There are some interesting facts in this book and if it had been written in say 250 pages instead of 539, it might have made for good reading. Sorry Karen, but it only deserves one star.
Rating:
Summary: How do you spell "propaganda"
Review: Armstrong's thesis is that it is perfectly right and proper for rampaging hordes of murdering, pillaging and raping Muslims armies to sweep out of the primitive barrens of Arabia and rape the more advanced civilizations they found in the Middle East. Ms. Armstrong wants us to believe that millions of Christians and Jews who lived in the Middle East prior to 700 A.D. converted to Islam because of its merits rather than the armies of Mohammed and his successors.However, when Christian monarchs swept through the Middle East fighting to reclaim territory it was an historical crime. Real peace means acknowledging the Muslim world's narcissistic claim that, they and only they, have the Divine Right to Rule under their Perfect religion.
Try reading Jihad by Paul Fregosi for a dose of reality.
Rating:
Summary: Dangerously Misleading
Review: As a non-Muslim citizen of an Islamic country, I must say that this is a very, very dangerously misleading book. From the onset of the book, it is clear where the author's sympathies lie. The western reader is "almost deceived" to think that the Crusaders were attacking a community of peace-loving Muslims in their homeland, without reason, when in fact the lands contested in the Crusades formed the heartland and cradle of Christianity. I use the phrase "almost deceived" because whilst the author acknowledges the pre-Crusades Muslim conquests, it is only when the Crusades is mentioned that the author becomes unduly critical, thereby implying that there was some unmentioned justification in the Muslim conquests. Right from the beginning of this book, the author seems to insinuate that the Crusades (which was first started in 1096) is the source of the enmity between the Christians and the Muslims and in the absence of such provocation from the western Christians, many of today's problems would not exist.
How could this be? If the author's arguments are correct, then it does not explain why for hundreds of years before the First Crusade, the Muslims have been warring against the Christians and Jews. Even during Muhammad's lifetime, some of those who were subjugated in his wars in Arabia, were Christians and Jews. After the death of Muhammad, the Muslims poured out from Arabia and without provocation, conquered the then Christian Middle East and North Africa. How can the invasion of Spain and France in the 700s be attributed to the Crusades/western aggression? How does one justify the Turkish invasion of the Balkans, whose inhabitants were Orthodox Christians who viewed the Catholic Crusaders as heretics? How does one link the Crusades to the aggression and attrocities committed by the Muslim armies in Western Africa, Persia, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, where the inhabitants were not even Christians? How does one explain the persecution and even killings of the Coptic Christians in Egypt up to the present day and the 20th century genocide against the Armenians, who were not involved in the Crusades? How can one link the present conflict in the Middle East to the Crusades? Have the Jews ever waged a "crusade" against the Muslims? If one would only go to a religious school in an Islamic country, like say Pakistan, and ask a boy why they are urged to wage war against America and Israel. Is it the Crusades? No. It is because we are Muslims and they are Christians and Jews. Period. The Quran says:
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection." The very notion of Jihad is fundamental to Islam and is the Prophet Muhammad's equivalent to Jesus' "Go ye and preach the gospel to the world". By insinuating that Jihad is a reaction to western aggression, the author shows a poor understanding of Islam. Because of this Islamic expansionist ideology to subjugate and conquer the infidel, there are bound to be many wars of conquests and retaliation between the Muslims and the "infidels". Take the reconquest of Spain, are the Christians not entitled to self-defence and recovery of the land. Before I am thought of as another bigoted Christian, I wish to clarify that I am actually a non-religious Asian, who alienated by what seems to be a White Christianity while residing in the West, came very close to converting to Islam at one point until I was put off when I learned that the Prophet himself killed many people. For those in the West who are interested in knowing more about Islam's relationship with Christianity, I suggest that they read "Jihad in the West" by Paul Fregosi together with "The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam" by Bat Ye'or. An excellent book giving some information on the Jewish communities in Islamic lands is "Jewish Communities in Exotic Places" by Ken Blady.
Rating:
Summary: The crusades in modern context
Review: As is abundantly clear from the title, in Holy War Armstrong develops the thesis that the Crusades had a lasting impact which persists into the present. Perhaps the larger point that she is making is that the relationship between Islam/Christianity/Judaism today needs to be seen in the context of the past (including the more distant past) rather than being seen ahistorically.
Armstrong structures the book to support her thesis-- interspersing chapters relating to the current history of Jerusalem and Palestine with chapters about the major waves of crusades. It is not clear when you buy the book that you are going to get so much modern Middle Eastern history, and potential buyers should be aware of this as it may cause some frustration if you are expecting a book more like The Crusades Through Arab Eyes or a straight up crusading history.
In the reviews here at Amazon and in other forums there have been broad accusations of pro-Islamic bias levelled at Armstrong. I believe these accusations to be largely in error. If you read more than one of her books, Armstrong has dedicated herself to her notion of triple vision. Her stated project is to foster understanding between the three religions by talking directly to the misconceptions that we hold about each other. The writing in Holy War makes very clear that she intends the book for a western audience. Accordingly, she spends a great deal of time explaining the Islamic perspective under the assumption that it will be the point of view most lacking from the potential audience. I assume that were her presumed audience to be primarily Islamic she would probably irritate them by constantly defending the Christians.
However, it does seems that in this book Armstrong lends herself more readily to accusations of bias through a number of significant elisions. For instance, she doesn't mention the aggressive pre-crusades contact between Christians and Muslims. Nor does she detail in any length the period that she refers to as the Islamic dark ages. It may be a serious miscalculation on her part to fail to understand that an audience wears its hair shirt more readily if it believes that its neighbor has to wear one as well.
Readers should also not be fooled by the misleading introduction to the new edition-- the book itself has not been updated past its 1991 US release. Recent events in the middle east (or elsewhere) have not been addressed.
Overall, Holy War should be interesting to a wide variety of audiences. It is not as smooth as some of her later books (Battle for God is my personal favorite). Nor is it always comfortable to read. Armstrong has taken on a large project in her writing, and chosen an arena where to attempt objectivity is difficult at best, and thankless at worst. Read it for yourself and see what you think.
Rating:
Summary: Did the Crusades start it all?
Review: As the title of the book suggests, Karen Armstong argues that the Crusades is the chief cause of the bitterness between the Christians (and Jews) on the one hand and the Muslims on the other. How could this be? Who were the inhabitants of Palestine and the Middle East on the eve of the Muslim conquest?? .....Yeap, the Christians and Jews of course (who have been there for centuries). So, how did Islam came to Palestine? By the sword of course, naturally (just like North Africa, Middle East, Persia, India, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Asia Minor, Balkans, Spain, West Africa etc.). So, the Crusades could not have "started it all" because it was not a conquest of Muslim territory by the Crusaders but a recovery of what Christians considered to be the Holy Land. The animosity between Christianity and Islam has already started way before the Crusades (with Islam on the offensive). As Ms Armstrong has pointed out, the Crusades started some time in 1096 - 1097. Please note the year.....because in the 600s to the 700s, Muslim armies have already taken North Africa (incl. Egypt), Spain, Sicily, Syria, Persia, Mesopotamia etc. converting the Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian inhabitants to Islam and/or making them into second class citizens known as "dhimmis" (Example : Jews who refused to convert to Islam were made among other things to clean the public latrines on the Sabbath and were not permitted to defend themselves and their wives if they were assaulted by Muslims) My second point is if the Roman Catholics were the bad guys (because of the Crusades) then it does not explain why the Muslims have been attacking and persecuting the Hindus, pagans, Zoroastrians, Bahais, Buddhists, Jews, Samaritans, Coptic and Nestorian Christians, Sikhs (for some of them even prior to the Crusades). So, what is the story with the rest of the world and the Muslims? What did the Hindus do to have the Muslims invade India? What Karen Armstrong failed to mention was that way before the formation of the state of Israel in 1947 (and the "attrocities" committed by the Israelis against the majority Muslim Palestinians), the Prophet of Islam who lived in the 600s had already executed, expelled or enslaved the women and children of the three Jewish tribes of Medina. One of his last wishes communicated to his followers were the expulsion or extermination of all Jews and Christians from the Arabian peninsula.
If the author (a former Catholic nun) has a bone to pick with Catholicism, she should just have written a book entitled "Why I am not a Catholic nun" instead of this purported history book. The 1 star I'm giving Armstrong for her book is for doing such a "fantastic" job justifying to Westerners why it is quite okay for 9/11 and other attacks by the poor, miserable Muslims. Why the Crusades started it all, didn't it?
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