SUCCESS OUT OF FAILURE

Muslims ruled over a large part of the globe before the rise of the western nations. They had conquered Syria and Palestine, holy to the Christians. To recover them, the Christian nations launched a united assault on the Muslim world. Known as the Crusades, these wars were waged intermittently for almost two hundred years from 1095 to 1271. Finally after a crushing defeat from the Muslims, the western nations lost their military aspirations. Instead of challenging the Muslims on the battlefield, they aspired to improve things in other spheres. This situation was marked by a new way of thinking called the Spiritual Crusades. They challenged their opponents in non-military fields. They set about learning Muslim sciences; academic books were translated from Arabic to English. After the first stages of imbibing Muslim learning, they began adding to this body of knowledge. Persistent efforts over several hundred years saw human history enter a new era: the Scientific Age. From the wounds of a crushing defeat, modern civilisation began its ever-accelerating evolution, leading its creators to eventual world dominance. The tremendous success of the western nations emerged from an abysmal failure. The defeats in the crusades led them to a victorious modern age. o Creators of great civilisations were mostly nations which had suffered major defeat, or faced conditions of great adversity. Sanctity of Life Killing another human being without legitimate reason is the most serious crime. Just one such incident can rob people of their respect for the sanctity of human life.