Bernard Lewis

Islamic fanatics are no mystery to this eminent historian. For 14 centures Islam and Christiandom fought, he wrote. For nearly a millennium Islam won, conquering Syria,Palestine, Egypt, Sicily, Spain,Portugal, and parts of France. But , in 1683, the Turks failed in their siege of Vienna, were defeated, and thus began Islam's decline. Lewis sees today's Islamic fanatics as would-be avengers seeking to reclaim Islam's place in the world.