Situated at the crossroads of three continents, the Middle East has confounded the ambition of conquerors and peacemakers alike. Christianity, Judaism and Islam all had their genesis in the region but with them came not just civilisation and religion but also some of the great struggles of history....
In recent times the world has entered a period where the interest of ordinary people in the West is focused increasingly on Islam and its Muslim followers who now represent a global influence of increasing importance. Some people may envisage Islam as a militant and destructive force, bent on conquest ...