Islam became the convenient enemy to mobilize Europe’s territorial ambitions

Evidence

By this point, however, Muslims were no longer one enemy among many; the other pagan raiders (such as the Normans and Magyars) that had relentlessly invaded Christian Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries had been converted and integrated. The only enemy that remained was the Muslims. This is not to suggest, however, that Europe was united and at peace. Rather, Islam became a convenient “other” to mobilize support for the territorial ambitions of various rulers. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 60

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Crusades were tied to enduring European xenophobia rooted in Greek thought; OAS targeted elite Muslims to force reliance on the Europeans — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1575; European terror prior to 2004 came mainly from nationalist rather than religious movements — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 388 (+16 more)

Broader Connections

• The papacy manufactured Muslims as a holy-war enemy to unify Christian Europe #corroborates (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 93
• Western hostility to Islam shifted from theological to political rationales across the centuries #qualifies (0.60) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 106
• Ottomans were seen as a political threat rather than a religious one #qualifies (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 76