It's not Islam that drives young Europeans to jihad, France's top terrorism expert explains

SGT (Join to see) - The Crusades were a thousand years ago. The Spanish conquest of the Americas was 400 years ago. Both were not the same. The crusades were in defense and stop the spread of what they saw as a threat. The Islamic Ottoman Empire spread into Europe and held it until WWI. The Spanish were seeking riches. In both case people were killed and some bad things happened but the reasoning and the action were not directed solely by forced conversion to their beliefs.

In modern history when has a Christian nation attacked its own citizens and forced them to convert? When has a modern christian army rose up an fought seizing land? When has a christian backed terrorist group hijacked airplanes? Blown up innocent people? Beheaded non-believers?

Have individuals acted in the name of Christ? Unfortunately yes, But how many radical christian groups have terrorized the world? None.

SO there is no comparison.

I will ask both of you fine gentlemen a very pointed question to shine some light upon certain distinctions - Are the terrorists comitting these acts to force Christians or others to convert to Islam or are these terrorists attacks because of something else? I await your well informed answers.... fyi before you answer, read your previous replies. SSG Jarrod Stover Stover SSG Pete Fleming

Ok @SSG Jarrod Stover SSG Jarrod Stover you have given me what you think or what you think you know are the reasons for these terrorist attack (and groups), but do you know the real reason why they attack, why they exist and what thier ideology is about? Facts please, not innuedno or hyperboyle.

SSG Jarrod Stover - I will drop some facts here and you can fact check me on them.

1. Most terror organizations ( will use Al Qaeda and ISIS as examples) attack not because of ideology, though they use ideology as tool and means or religion, though they use religion as a tool or means, but because they have a purpose or gripe.
2. Al Qaeda attacked the USA not because they wanted to convert millions of Christians to Islam or because we are infidels as hinted at in yours and SSG Fleming's responses above, but because they regarded our presence in their holy lands as sacrilege and wanted us out.
3. ISIS is not a new organization, but one spurned from the decimation of AL Qaeda whereas they think that AL Qaeda was repeating itself and losing the battle. They also was able to form and gain a popular view due to their extreme violence which at the time, the leaders of Al Qaeda thought were too harsh even by their own standards.

The ideology behind the groups stems from the fact that it ( Al Qaeda) was not happy with the West's continued support of what it deemed to be an Infidel government (s) in the Middle Eastern Countries like KSA and Egypt for example. It used it extreme views of religion as a guise to push its agenda, whereas the face of the problem became the Religion itself and not the ideology behind the religion, the problem and the message.

These are basic facts, just off the top of my head, but as indicated above, please feel free to fact check me and let me know how far out of the ballpark I am - If at all.