holy war
Faith-driven armed struggle
A holy war is armed conflict waged for religious purposes—to defend a faith, spread it, or destroy enemies seen as threats to it.
The Islamic concept of jihad and the medieval Christian Crusades are classic examples.
The term extends to any zealous campaign against perceived evil: a holy war against corruption.
Secular causes pursued with religious fervor may be called holy wars ironically.
Triply sacred ancient capital
- knightsTitled warriors on horseback
- TemplarsCrusading monastic knights
- SaladinTwelfth-century sultan, Jerusalem's captor
- pilgrimageReligious journey to shrine
siege · Saracens · Richard the Lionheart · Teutonic Knights · Acre · papacy · indulgence · Byzantium
Jerusalem
Triply sacred ancient capital
- knightsTitled warriors on horseback
- TemplarsCrusading monastic knights
- SaladinTwelfth-century sultan, Jerusalem's captor
pilgrimage · siege · Saracens · Richard the Lionheart · Teutonic Knights · Acre · papacy · indulgence · Byzantium · infidel
Sunni
Islam's largest branch adherent
- ShiaIslam's second-largest branch
- ProtestantPost-schism Western Christian
- CatholicPapal church adherent
partition · cleansing · militia · massacre · pogrom · persecution · Troubles · Huguenots · apostasy · blasphemy
mujahideen
Muslim guerrilla combatants
- WarsWWI, Yugoslav Wars, Napoleonic Wars, civil wars, Punic Wars
- chivalryknighthood, knights, chivalry, medieval knights, honor
- conflictclash, fight, battle, dispute, feud
- religionChristianity, Islam, beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism
- conflictsargument, fight, battle, dispute, conflict
- combatbattle, fight, combat, unarmed combat, grappling
holy warcivil war
Domestic armed conflict
trade war · colonial war · resource war · gang war · proxy war
holy warecumenism
Movement toward religious unity
religious tolerance · peaceful coexistence · spiritual unity · pacifism · nonviolence
war, holy, health, whole, warrior, warfare, holiness, hallowed, hallow