So now the Canterbury rugby team is under pressure to change their Crusaders name. This is both ridiculous and ignorant.
Certainly the word has Christian origins and became known through the Christian-Muslim wars instigated by western European Christians to regain control of the Holy lands, beginning nearly 1000 years back. Note I say regain as the region was Christian long before its occupants adopted Islam through conquest, motivated by its purported sacred significance, although there’s no mention of this in the Koran.
Now it’s under control of the Jews and Muslims are waging their own crusade to regain it. All of that aside “crusade” is now in general use e.g. “He’s running a one-man crusade to ban fireworks”. That said the Canterbury home games feature chaps prancing round the field on horses pre-game, dressed in the original Crusaders tunics and waving swords. But why is that offensive to Muslims? They should be laughing, after all they won the Holy Wars. Furthermore, they would surely understand the sincerity of purpose of the original Crusaders.
Do the Turks find Anzac day, originating from Australia and New Zealand invading their country (and copping a beating) to be offensive? Of course not, indeed they do nicely out of it from tourism to the battlefields.
Does our very small Muslim population take offence at the sight of churches or Buddhists temples? To suggest they do insults them although they may well dislike the sight of synagogues, now the Holy lands are under Jewish control, though it’s my bet most couldn’t give a damn.
All of that aside, it was an odd choice of emblem by the rugby team but it’s now well established. I imagine its intention was to convey a mission to capture the rugby championship. No-one could possibly believe its selection had any intent pertaining to Islam or the Holy Wars.
What of sports teams called the Vikings? Should the Brits be up in arms having borne their Viking invasions? What a laughing stock they would be were they to protest. Much more of this ultra wetness following the mosque tragedy and we’re all going to have to wear life-jackets for fear of drowning.