One of the most influential and debated subjects in humanities, politics, and history will always be religion. Many will argue that religion should not be mixed with other subjects or it will result in ongoing fights, arguments, and wars. In the case of the Crusades, this was exactly the result- a series of religious “Holy wars”. This particular set of Holy wars was divided amongst the Christians, Muslims, and Jews in revolt against the Catholic church. The original intention of the Crusades started as a political issue under the rule of Pope Urban II in 1095 AD. His goal was to increase Papal power, obtain wealth, and gain greater political power in Jerusalem, the Holy land. However, this quickly changed when religion played its role. The Pope performed a speech in Claremont simply implying that Muslims were persecuting the Christian faith due to the regions they resided in near the Middle East. As a result, the first Crusade came to terms. Something as profound as the Crusades will never be forgotten and although many centuries have passed, the previous problems still linger- especially in the Middle East. Most history books will focus on the outcome of the Crusades according to Western European culture, but it is the Eastern culture and religions who have truly suffered. All one has to do in order to realize this is to look at the current situation in our world today. The effects of the Crusades have taken a negative toll on the relations between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions and communities. In order to explain the result of the Crusades within the Jewish religion, one must understand what Jerusalem is to the Jewish people. It was the site of the temple built for God by Solomon, it is the religious center of God's laws, and overall, a powerful, Holy city. The involvement of the Jews began during the first Crusade. “During the early Crusades, the papacy issued no letters of protection for Jews;” (Robert Michael, A History of Catholic Antisemitism: The Dark Side of the Church, 87). Jews were considered an enemy as much as the Muslims. They were declared responsible for the crucifixion of Christ and this angered the Christians. At first, Jews and Muslims fought together in order to save Jerusalem. Faithful to their land, the Jews often sacrificed themselves to murder as a way of honoring God rather than avoiding slaughter. Unfortunately, their acts failed and the Crusades regained control of Jerusalem. Following the first Crusade, were several more which claimed to be unsuccessful attempts to the Christians. It can be argued that much of the hatred the Muslims have acquired towards Jews today resulted from the Crusades. When Christians were successful enough to take Jerusalem after the first Holy war, they treated Jews marginally better (despite the slaughtering) than Muslims- the Muslims resented this. Many Jews were accused of providing help to the Christians which may have represented false intentions. It is also said that treaties of peace with the Muslims were broken by the Jews. The Jewish people started with one enemy, the Christians, and they ended up gaining another, the Muslims. Although the Muslims had control over Jerusalem for hundreds of years, today, the Jewish people have rightful ownership of the land. The relations among Christians and Jews modern day are not as aggressive. “In 1999 some Christian pilgrims commemorated the 900th anniversary of the conquest of Jerusalem by asking forgiveness for the violence perpetrated by the Crusades.” (Kessler & Wenborn, A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations, 116). While efforts of forgiveness have been made, the never ending battle still continues. Even though Muslims ruled Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades, Christians still made their pilgrimages to the Holy Land. To the Christians, it was the place where Jesus had been crucified and ascended to Heaven. Before the Crusade armies formed, Christians were receiving threats from the Muslim nations. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be taken over by the Muslims. The Crusades were that defense. To Christians, the goals of the Crusades were simple: to rescue the Christians from the Middle East, and to liberate Jerusalem. The Crusades considered themselves doers of the word, and that their wars were an act of love for God. “The era of the Crusades is one of the most important in the history of Western civilization. When it began, Western Europe was only emerging from the long period of barbarian invasions that we call the Dark Ages. When it ended, the great burgeoning that we call the Renaissance had just begun” (Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, Vol. III, 393.). As we all know, Christianity played a strong role in the Renaissance up until current day. From a Christian's point of view, the Crusades were a failed attempt at reclaiming the Holy Land. Christians today will tell you that they should not be held accountable for these previous acts, and that the idea of forcing people to convert to Christianity through war and death is beyond unbiblical. Compatible to the Jews and Christians, the Muslims also had ties with Jerusalem. In their eyes, it was the land in which Mohammed ascended to heaven. Before the Holy wars occurred, this land was ruled by the Muslims. Although ruled by the Muslims, they allowed the Jews and Christians to live there as long as they paid taxes. The Muslims were victims but they were also instigators of the Holy wars. The Crusades were simply reacting to the centuries of Muslim rule in the Middle East which had taken over Christian land. The Middle East was the birthplace of the Christian Church and the Islamic religion had taken over. It all boils down to one word: jihad, which means “struggle” in Arabic (or “Holy war” for non-believers). Jihad was the duty of Muslims. If it meant they would have to kill for the spread of their faith, they would do just that. In more pleasant terms, the Crusades were simply a reaction to the Muslim invaders. Pope Urban II had simply made it a stop to the aggression that was occurring in the Holy Land. As of today, a majority of people withing the Islamic religion claim to have strong hatred towards the actions of Christians and Jews. Muslims will describe the betrayal of the Jewish people and the beatings they received from the Christians during this time. Ironically, Each religion played its part in fighting over Jerusalem, Jews killed Muslims and Christians, Muslims killed Jews and Christians, and Christians killed Jews and Muslims. In reality, we are all one in the same and before we can accept that, the ongoing religious battles will continue. As previously stated, the Crusades were originally an attack on the possession of land. One might claim that it was a Christian form of terrorism in Western European history, while others may acknowledge that it was a political movement consisting of blood, war, aggression, and oppression. The Crusades and their failures should have taught humanity that greed and desire for political prominence and religious power can lead to fanaticism and massacre. Unfortunately, that lesson has been ignored. The evidence lies in the many conflicts that have continued to stain many parts of our world, particularly, the Middle East. Jews, Christians, and Muslims will continue their endless arguments because history has a way of repeating itself. Religion should be peaceful and righteous, but instead, humans have turned that into the contrary- hateful acts. While differences still remain to exist, it is obvious to state that the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions were all impacted by the Crusades and their outcomes remain to this very day.