text: after 911 paul harvey referred to the military action in the middle east as an crusade, was that called for?   mr harvey is a theatrical old man.  he used the term "crusade" to incite his listeners to feel a certain predetermined way. from a historical stand point the crusades were not about religion, they were about the fears of european rulers.  the expansion of the ottoman empire threatened my rulers, the only way one could get an army to fight thousands of miles away was to create an agenda and a cause. at that time in our history religion served that purpose...today it is the "fight for democracy".