No.  It's an outright lie and pandering to terrorists, which seems to be typical of our present president.  Islam had nothing to do with America other than the fact that Europeans went west to try to find a new route because the old one was blocked by Islamists.On second thought, Muslims did sell a lot of slaves.  ::)This isn't the first time he's mentioned this.  He also said this in his speech in Cairo right after he was sworn in.

This source says Maine in 1915 and this one says 1920s in Iowa.

I don't think it is pandering to Islam so much as pandering to the multicultural postmodern ideals of many on the left.  And yes, Muslims would love to convince the majority in the US that there has always been a significant Muslim presence in the US.  That would benefit their cause of trying to convince people that they are all just a bunch of folks that want to just get along.  While I think many Muslims do want to just get along, I think even more don't.  That maybe due to the anti-western propaganda prevalent in modern Muslim society or it might just be inherent in a culture influenced by an intolerant religion.  I am not enough of an expert to say conclusively one way or the other.  I do know that as a modern phenomenon Anti-western propaganda goes back farther in Muslim society than anti-Muslim feeling does in the west.Don't forget that the history of western crusading was forgotten by the Muslim world until the decline and destruction of the Ottoman Empire and the growth of western influence in the Middle East.  Crusading history is used for propaganda and not education in the Muslim World.  I distinctly remember trying to convince a local sheik in Iraq in 2004 that we were not crusaders commissioned by the Pope to subdue Islam and force them to convert; yet that is what he was being told by Arab TV and Muslim scholars in Iraq.

I agree about your comment regarding anti-muslim feeling being pre-dated by anti-western propaganda in the muslim world. I also agree that the crusades were not an issue during the Ottoman reign, but I don't think they were forgotten. I just think "the Crusaders" were no longer an immedeate threat so it was not a big deal.  I mean consider modern day Mongolia, do you consider them to be a threat now? Of course not, so Genghis Khan is just a historical figure from ages ago. But let's say in 40 years the Mongolians somehow become a superpower and bring their brand of [please insert any ideology here] to countries near and far. Than the march of the Mongols on europe wouldn't seem to be that far in the past. Of course its absurd for you or I to believe you were commissioned by the Pope for a crusade but as you earlier said stupidity and ignorance is plentiful in the world. And just to be on the safe side I'm not comparing what the US did in the ME to what Genghis Khan did all those years ago 🙂The fundamental premise I don't agree with is what you said about more muslims being hostile to the west. Admittedly the past ten years has not been one where mutual understanding was at its peak but at the end of the day muslims, christians, jews hell even jehovas witness just want to live and see their offspring prosper. I also admit the percantage of volatile individuals are much higher in the muslim countries then in the west. But this is to be expected if your standard bearer is Turkey in things like democratization, tolerance, economy etc.  I believe irrespective of its name by its nature every organized religion as a rule is intolerant. Its only if the devout of that particular religon realise that its not their job to "convert every heathen" or "rid the world of the infidel" that any such religion can truly become a "religion of peace". Unfortunately I agree that Islam has not crossed that threshold in almost all places where it is practiced. But I'm still hopeful that it will. I will comment on the why later as I have a football match to go to now. 🙂

I get the belief that more Muslims are hostile to the west from the sheer amount of celebration evident after 9/11 and the reaction to several things since then.  I distinctly remember the Danish Embassy in Syria being ransacked after the publishing of the Mohammed cartoons and widespread rioting and even people being killed as Muslims express their rage over a bunch of cartoons.  Contrast that with the reaction in the West to the anti-Jewish/Western "art" exhibit put on by Iran as a way to test Western tolerance or even the reaction to the display of some of the tasteless art depicting Christian images in the west such as Serrano's Work or this one that uses Elephant Dung on a picture of the Virgin Mary.  Perceived public reaction leads me to believe that Muslims are more anti-western and also less tolerant than westerners.You are absolutely right that by definition, every religion is intolerant.  I repeat the [url url=http://Apostle's Creed]Nicene Creed[/url] every Sunday in church which specifically states that "I believe in one, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."  The difference between most Christians, myself  and most Muslims is that while I and most Christians may think non Christians are Heretics or at best heathens, we are content to let them go to hell in their own way.  God gave us all free choice after all.I am convinced a renewed call to Crusade would receive a lukewarm response, if any at all from the community of the faithful.  The message of the peaceful martyr is much more powerful in modern Christianity than that of the militant monk and fighter for the faith.  The Islamic world has not reached that point yet.

I think we agree on more things than not. I do concede the anti-western feeling is the pre-dominant one in muslim lands - not to the extent you believe it to exist but too much nonetheless - but I do not believe that is because of the religion of Islam itself, which is no more or less tolerant then other religions.  The reason why there are more crazies that are muslims than not I think has more to do with these;1 - Islam has not gone through the reformation struggles that you have went through. 2 - The only mostly muslim country in the world that has never been colonized is Turkey, which is also the most western oriented, secular and modern country with a muslim population. I do not think this is a coincidence as in most former colonies religion was a catalyst to overthrow the colonial power. That sort of resentment doesn't just go away overnight, especially if those same colonial powers are percieved to be also responsible for most of today's problems. As to why I think this will change is simple; communication. It used to be easier to scare people into believing the west was out to get them. That if the mighty [Saddam, Esad, Humeyni etc.] did not protect them the west would come make them all jews or christians rape their women and kill the rest. As you have pointed out from personal experience that even in recent past there are people who believed this sort of thing. The only way that the people will see that this is not true is through communication amongst the real people. I hope this will be the true accomplishment of the so colled "information age".