Der heilige Krieg

At the latest since September 11th, 2001, the armed struggle in the name of Allah has become a serious threat to the West, where many people share the view that Islam glorifies violence. The time is ripe to tame irrational views and seek to understand the history of a concept, and of a conflict. This is the very first documentary on the Holy War from the dual perspective of East and West. It traces the mobilization of religious sentiment for political purposes on both sides, and shows how false notions of East and West are entrenched in our collective consciousness. Compelling live-action dramatizations and CGI put the viewer in the midst of major historical confrontations, and leading international experts explain how the relations between cultures and religions evolved against the background of the Holy Wars. (ZDF)