The Catholic community that Pope Francis will visit later this month has a complex history that goes back to the 13th century, when the Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan.
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Articles on Crusades
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Relics often provided a way to bring more pilgrims into a church – and therefore, more offerings.
From the crusades of the medieval period to racial violence today, mankind has sought ways to ‘sanctify’ harmful actions, explains a scholar of religion.
The first Muslim prayer in 86 years was held on July 24 inside Hagia Sophia, recently reconverted to a mosque. For over a millennium, this grand monument has wielded enormous power.
Founded on Christmas Day 1119 and disbanded in 1307, this religious order has been misunderstood ever since.
Following the sexual abuse scandals, there is a push to force the Catholic Church to compromise the confidentiality of the confessional. A Catholic scholar explains why confession is so important.
Sept. 14 is the the Feast of the Holy Cross celebrated by many Catholics and some other Christians. A religion scholar revisits the history of the cross, how it became a symbol of divine love, but also of violence.
PTSD is a relatively modern term, but the symptoms are as old as civilisation itself.
The Crusades have been stereotyped, creating a narrative that supports both Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments in the West, as well as “Westophobia” and paranoia in the Muslim world.
Popes are not infallible, yet apologies are rare.
Thanks to the way they are portrayed in films and books, the Knights Templar have become identified with narrow-minded nationalism. This is unjust and inaccurate.
Forget the idea that it was round one in the battle between Christianity and Islam.
A case study from the height of the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries illustrates that even the most brutal leaders can choose to compromise for stability.
There is an era that lends itself rather closer than the tired Nazi comparisons of Donald Trump. And it may have a far more useful message for us today.
A new production of the opera King Roger will open this week. At a time when Europe was charged with fear of the ‘Muslim threat’, this 12th century king collaborated with an Islamic scholar on an extraordinary project.
Our series on understanding Islamic State attempts to catalogue many of the forces and events that can arguably have played a part in creating the conditions necessary for these jihadists to emerge.
Representing even the Crusades as wars between Christians and Muslims is a gross oversimplification and a misreading of history.
In seeking to link IS to earlier Islamic movements, Western commentators have associated the jihadist group with the medieval Ismailis, made famous in Europe by returning Crusaders as the Assassins.
Despite what we’re told, religion isn’t inherently peaceful. People kill in the name of their religion, just as they love in its name.
Top contributors
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Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Portsmouth
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Byzantine History, Hitotsubashi University
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Associate Professor in History, Nottingham Trent University
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MA Student Conflict, Security and Development, King's College London
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Reader in Medieval History, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Professeur au Smith College, et Membres Associé à l'IEA de Nantes, Réseau français des instituts d’études avancées (RFIEA)
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Professor of History, State University of New York at New Paltz
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Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Stanford University
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Professor of Religious Studies, Arizona State University
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Sessional academic, Macquarie University
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Philip S. Bernstein Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Rochester
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Professor of Religious Studies, University of Sydney
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Co-Director & Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications, The Institute of Ismaili Studies
