Headlines are politically and commercially motivated.
Politically: They are how politicians and supporters achieve their goals.
Commercially: They are how media companies attract eyeballs.
The US has attacked the most other countries, of all countries in the world.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States has carried out about 469 military interventions abroad since 1798. That's a clear #1 ranking.
#2: France with well over 100 campaigns or wars in the same period.
#3: Russia / Soviet Union: 30–40 major external interventions
#4: Germany: around 20–25 major invasions or wars
Muslim countries don't even make it to the list.
Why we fear Muslims so, is because that religion is able to motivate people to do suicide attacks the most. That installs fear in people. However, if you look at the deaths it causes, it's not even close. Jihadist terrorism has killed roughly 200,000
to 400,000 people in the last few decades. Before that, it hardly existed.
Jihadism isn't just a religion, it's a political ideology, just like fascism and communism. Those ideologies become lethal when leaders and movements turn them into absolute truths, promise a utopian future, identify enemies blocking that future, and mobilize followers or state power to eliminate those enemies. There is a difference though, while Islam and communism are not inherently violent, fascism is unique in that violence and domination are central to its ideology.
On pure death rates, Germany is the absolute record holder.
Germany:
World War II alone caused ~70–85 million deaths worldwide.
World War I caused ~15–20 million deaths.
Together: ~85–100 million deaths linked to wars Germany helped start.
Russia / USSR:
Russian Civil War: ~7–12 million deaths
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: ~1–2 million deaths
Huge share of casualties in World War II (tens of millions)
Total across major conflicts: tens of millions.
United States:
Major wars involving the U.S. include:
Vietnam War: ~2–3 million deaths
Korean War: ~2–3 million deaths
Iraq War: hundreds of thousands (low estimate)
War in Afghanistan: ~170,000+ deaths
Combined wars involving the U.S.: several million deaths.
France:
Algerian War: ~300,000–1 million deaths
First Indochina War: ~400,000–1 million deaths
Total: hundreds of thousands to a few million.
If Islam was inherently evil, there would have never been an Islamic Golden Age, roughly from the 8th to 14th century (≈750–1258 CE), though some scholars extend it to the 15th century. The core period was generally more peaceful than much of contemporary Europe, enabling intellectual and economic growth. Cities like Baghdad, Cуrdoba, and Cairo became safe havens for scholars, traders, and artists.
Scholars and thinkers enjoyed a moderate degree of intellectual freedom.
Non-Muslims (Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians) often held important positions in administration and science. They offered a far greater religious tolerance than the Christian countries of that period. The Islamic Golden Age was one of exceptional scientific, cultural, and economic achievement. It's why we use Arabic numerals, Algebra is an Arabic word, many stars have Arabic names, why so many Greek, Persian, and Indian texts were preserved and why urbanization, agriculture, and industry thrived, spreading innovations widely.
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