Faith and Sword: A Short History of Christian-Muslim Conflict

Writer and researcher Jamieson offers a dense but clear abstract of the 1,400-year history of conflict between Christian and Muslim states, from the death of Muhammad to the American occupation of Iraq. For the first millennium, the story follows the expansion of Muslim caliphates at the expense of the Byzantine Empire and the emerging Christian kingdoms of Western Europe. Later, with the Christian conquest of Iberia and the Crusades, the two sides began to establish a balance of power that tipped toward the Christians in the nineteenth century. The book moves quickly to this point, discussing even major developments only long enough to establish basic facts. Jamieson slows down upon reaching the 20th century, when the West's military dominance and secularization alter the relationship between ""Christian"" and Muslim states. The major division now, Jamieson argues, is not between these countries but between secularists and fundamentalists within Muslim-majority nations. Though the book's brevity leaves little room for analysis, Jamieson sketches characters, incidents, and trends fluidly, producing a fine primer of this long history. 5 halftones.