The Crusades were justified

Everyone likes to throw shade on Christians for fighting the Crusades. They're treated as blood thirsty monsters attacking innocent Muslims. If you look at the history, nothing could be further from the truth. Take for insance the following facts.

The Dark Ages in Europe coincided with the Islamic invasions of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Europe was constantly under attack from Muslim armies and cut off from most of the world.

Prior to this, the Middle East and Northern Africa had a majority Christian population.

Muslims had conquered all of Iberia, including capturing Barcelona, enslaving women and children. Mohamed approved taking slaves and muslims followed his example in the regions they conquered. As a side note, the is why slavery is common in the muslim world and continues to be so today.

Islamic piracy destroyed much of Mediterranean trade that the Christian Romans had created. By the 9th century, the struggle between Byzantines and Arabs had turned the eastern Mediterranean into a no man’s land for merchant activity.

Within 35 years, Islamic Turks and seized control of Christian territories in Anatolia, larger than the entire region of Germany and threatened France & Italy.

In response to the muslim invasion, Pope Urban II gave a speech that united an international group that included French, Flemish, English & German peasants, knights, and kings who all came together to defend and take back the lands that had been taken. This was something unique in human history. The Catholic church had created a multinational network that united Europeans of all stripes and ethnicities under a common faith with common goals. While not every Crusade was a success, consider the logistics of European armies traveling thousands of miles to fight unfamiliar enemies on their own homeland. The Reconquista and First Crusade were roaring success defeating every muslim army they faced. Europe remained Christian for centuries and the muslims were driven out.

So many Europeans being united by on religion and engaging in a civilization wide fight had not happened before and has not happened since. The Crusades achieved what other religions and ideologies could not. Perhaps this is why our modern secular system demonizes the Crusades.