From the beginning Christianity and Islam have been two similar religions. Islam and Christianity both believe in one almighty god, and both are Abrahamic religions, which means that both religions can be traced back to Abraham. Abraham’s first son, Ismael, was conceived by his Egypitian servant Hagar, and after Abraham had a second son, Isaac with his wife Sarah Ishmeal and Hagar were exiled. Both sons of Abraham were promised great nations. Ishmeal and his descendants formed the Muslim nation while Issac and his descendants formed the Judo-Christian nation. Despite their similarities, some of their encounters (including recently) were not peaceful.
A group of people called the Moors, who were of African descent and Muslim invaded the weakened Roman Empire, Visigoth, a Christian country which is now modern day Spain and Portugual. The Moors moved across the Pyreness Mountains but ran into the Franks and were defeated at the Battle of Tours. The Muslims ruled the Iverian peninsula from 711 to 1480. Though most of the inhabitants were not Moors by descent, they converted to Islam. Christian states slowly formed throughout the west and north of the empire. The Caliphate of Cordoba was tolerant of Christians, Jews and Muslims living in the same areas, because they all believed in the same god. However, Jews were exiled many times due to different reasons and Christians were 2nd class compared to the Muslims. Eventually after the Caliphate of Cordoba died the Christians succeded in driving away the Muslims from the center of the Iberian peninsula. The kindgom of Granada stilled remained for three more centuries in southern Spain. In 1480 the last of the Moors surrendered to the Christian armies of Spain, this was a turning point in the relationship between Muslims and Christians. The Muslims who remained were forced to leave the Iberian peninsula or convert to Christianity. Later the Spanish Inquisition was started by Isabella and Ferdinand. The Inquisition attacked anyone who wasn’t a Catholic (mainly Jews and Muslims) who converted but still practiced their old religions secretly. Even though the Spanish Inquistion was started to keep political unity after the Moors had taken over, it began to focus more on anti-semitism.
One of the first and most important battles between the Muslims and Christians was the Battle of Yarmuk. In 633 Muslim armies invaded Syria, under the goal to convert all Arabic speaking people to Muslim control. After several raids the Muslims captured Damascus in 635. The Byzantine Emporer put together an army of around 150,000 men, and the Muslims retreated to the River Yarmouk. The two armies finally comfronted each other. Even though the Byzantine army was much larger, the Muslim army was more unifed than the Byzantine one, which was very diverse. The Muslims eventually won the battle and Syria was under Muslim control. Damascus and Jerusalem were caputred by the Muslims. This battle was very significant to the Muslims because it was the first big important battle they won, showing Europe the full extent of their power.
When Alexanderius the Byzantine empeorer, asked Pope Urban II for help against the Seljuk Turks, the pope agreed and saw this as a good opportunity to take back the holy land from the Muslims. The pope promised anyone who was involved in the Crusades would be remissioned of their sins. Warriors of Western Europe quickly formed Crusading armies, especially in France. But the Crusades were not souely based on religious purposes. And as for the Pope and the European kings they saw this as a way to get rid of the young nobles who disturbed the peace fighting each other.
During the first Crusade, the crusading armies defeated the Turkish armies at Dorylaeum and at Antioch, and reached Jerusalem in June 1099. The Crusaders won but Jerusalem was in horrible condition and the population was severly massacred. In 1144 the Muslim forces recaputred the Latin state of Edessa. The fall of Edessa led to the beginning of the second crusade. The second crusade was an insigifnicant crusade which was very short lived. In 1187 a third Crusade was sparked due to the loss of Jerusalem. Emporer Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, Richard the Lionhearted of England and Philip II Augustus of France agreed to lead their armies in to the Third crusade. The Thir Crusade also proved to be a failure but Richard the Lionhearted came to an agreement with Saladin where the Muslims would let the Christians have access to Jerusalem.
In 1193 Saladin died in and Pope Innocent the III initiated a Fourth Crusade. This Crusade would prove to be the most disappointing of all the Crusades. The Crusaders soon fell in debt to the Venetians and the Venetians diverted the Crusaders to their rival city Zara (a christian city) and Constantinople. Both cities were sacked. It was ironic that the whole point of the Crusade was to assist the Byzantine empire and take back the holy land yet in the end the Crusaders did not only fail to defend the Byzantine empire from the Seljuck turks but, ransacked Constantnople, the capital of the Byzantine empire.
As John Locke once said “it appears not that God has ever given any such authority to one man over another as to compel anyone to his religion.” One of the main differences between Islam and Christianity is Christianity divided the church from the government, however it was not always this way. The Roman Empire combined both faith and land territory which were both joined as church and state. The Emporer of the region was considered to be chosen by god. The church in the Roman Empire was in charge of moral law, while the government enforced the law which expressed spiritual law of the church. After the need for religious freedom the Roman Empire fell and the idea combining church and state was abanoned by Christianity. Spain, another example of Christianity combining church and state began the Spanish Inquistion after the Moors left, which persecuted the minority of religions and turned out to be a failure, yet it succeeded in keeping the Moors out of Spain. To the Muslims, Islam was always a political role for the religion. “To govern the affairs of men is one of the most important requirements of religion, nay, without it religion cannot endure ... The duty of commanding the good and forbidding the evil cannot be completely discharged without power and authority.” Ibn Taymiyya. http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=148 The Muslims believe it’s far more effective to combine church and state together because a ruler can spread their religion more effectively and enforce the religious law more effectively. The flaws in combining church and state are some may convert to Islam, not for religious reasons, but to gain more money, power or, access to the court.
Throughout history it appears that the Muslims have been more tolerant of Christianity than vice versa. The Muslims always acknowledge the Christian and Jewish faiths referring to them as “people of the book.” When Islam invaded Syria they gave Christians and Jews the option of converting to Islam or paying a tax, while Pagans had to convert to Islam or face death. Another example of Muslims tolerating Christianity is when Caliphate of Cordoba allowed Jews, Christians and Muslims to live in the same area as the Muslim Moors.