Whenever the word "Crusades" is used in the modern 21st century, whether in the media or by high-ranking political leaders, it always has great political significance and a profound impact on human interaction, even though the actual namesakes of the "Crusades" date back more than 800 years.

Why does the American military call its medium-range missiles "Cruise Missiles"? Why does former American President George W. Bush speak of absolutely necessary "Crusades against Terrorism" after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and why does one of the groups led by the slain Osama bin Laden call itself the "World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders"?

Campaigns to spread or restore the Catholic faith

A multitude of open questions that need to be discussed and answered in the spirit of peaceful coexistence.

If we consider history alone, the term "crusades" generally refers to the military campaigns propagated and financially supported by the Roman Catholic Church to spread or restore the Catholic faith and thus establish Christian empires.

The "participants" were often rewarded with rich booty in the form of land or even entire regions, which even included noble titles.

The spiritual leaders of the time instigated entire armies of people to wage "holy war"—which, from the perspective of the church leaders, was also a "just war"—against those of other faiths in the name of Christianity.

"God's command" was often the justification for military operations in the early Middle Ages, and this became increasingly prevalent in the interpretation of the Christian faith.

In addition to the earthly goods already mentioned, the church princes also increasingly promised ecclesiastical, heavenly rewards for their godly conquests, especially in Asia Minor.

The term "Crusades" originally referred to the campaigns of the 11th to 13th centuries undertaken by Western Christianity in the Middle East and North Africa with the aim of liberating Jerusalem and the "Holy Land" from their occupiers, the Muslims. The number of crusades undertaken is historically unclear; was it the often-mentioned seven crusades or just five? The goal was always the same: the expulsion of the Muslims by military means.

Primarily aimed at the destruction of the Muslim empires in the Middle East, even en route to their destinations, members of other faiths were often dealt with swiftly in the name of the Church: During the 1096 Crusade, in Mainz alone in the Rhineland, approximately 1,000 Jews were murdered because they were considered unbelievers, thus exploiting the Church's license. The Fourth Crusade particularly affected the Orthodox Christians of the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople, who, despite the Crusaders' free passage through the city, were counted among their victims because they, too, were considered infidels.

In Palestine, knightly orders were founded in connection with the Crusaders. These initially functioned as hospital brotherhoods, but quickly transformed into armed crusaders when it came to defense or conquest. These groups are still active today in various forms: the Templars, the Order of St. John, and the Teutonic Knights.

But not only the great crusades deserve mention here. In the sign of the cross, campaigns were also waged against enemies or infidels defined by the Church in large parts of Europe. Examples include the groups of "pagan" Wends or Prussians, who participated in the so-called Slav campaigns of 1147. In 1231, the Knights of the Teutonic Order then moved through the country to colonize and evangelize the Prussians. In France, from 1209 to 1229, there were campaigns against the Albigensians. In Spain, the Arab-Islamic Empire was to be reconquered, a process that had been pursued since 1031 under the name "Reconquista." Under the leadership of the Archbishop of Bremen, the free peasants in the Stedinger Land near Oldenburg, who were considered heretical according to the Church, were defeated decisively at the Battle of Altenesch in 1234.

All these crusades, whether small or large, whether at home or abroad, represent the most cruel and unchristian chapters in the history of Western Christianity. Steven Runciman, perhaps the most important historian of the Crusades, once coined the following phrase:

"The Crusades are one long act of intolerance in the name of God, which is a sin against the Holy Spirit."

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