[wott]

You never heard of the 8th century Arab invasion of (present) Spain and invasion attempt of (present) France? It came as a conclusion of a century of Muslim conquests and attacks, and left just 2 small pockets in Asturias and the Pyrenees. They were quickly repelled from most of France (after coming as North as Poitiers or perhaps even Tours on the West flank, and as North as Burgondy on the East flank) except from a bit of the Mediterranean coast, but it took over 700 years to reclaim all Spain. The West (or North, or Europe) versus Islam and vice versa is really nothing new.

[goto11]

Sure you can group historical conflicts in many ways. If you say group all conflicts between Britain and opponents from continental Europe into a single conflict, surely you get a more protracted conflict than "West vs Islam", since you have at least 2000 years of conflict.

The "West vs Islam" is just a particular inane categorization since you are contrasting a geographic area with a religion. You could categorize the Reconquista as Christianity against Islam (and Judaism), and this is how it was framed at the time, but how can it be "the West" against Islam? It is a post-cold war construct to justify a certain ideology, not a meaningful way of understanding history.

[throwawaytolk]

You are the one revising history. The christiaindom vs islam story is well evidenced in history. you cannot disentangle western culture from the christian foundations upon which it rests.

[knolax]

Ah yes who could forget famous Christians like Aristotle and Caesar.