The 'crusades' were originally launched in response to a request for help by the byzantine empire that feared Muslim invaders. So the 'Crusades' initially were meant as a retaliation to stop the expansion of the then Islamic empire.
However it is true, that by the 16th century they degenerated to just another warfare for political, religious and even economic reasons.
So far as talking about liberalism and tolerance goes....do we need to even discuss that here, esp. Western countries vs Islamic countries?
