Thanks for the history lesson.
The mosques were built AFTER the Muslims had invaded what had become a predominantly Christian area under the Byzantine Empire, and AFTER they had violently conquered Christian territory.
This of course, happened on their drive to conquer and forcibly convert the predominantly Christian populations of North Africa, Iberia, Sicily and southern and central Italy, and before their total conquest of all of Anatolia and invasion and conquest of the Christian Balkans and capture of Christian Constantinople.
It was also before their push towards the central Mediterranean at Lepanto and their invasion of Central Europe and attack on Vienna. Not to mention before their acts of piracy in the Mediteranean Sea and North Atlantic under Barbary corsairs which held western Europe and the young U.S. to ransome.
And of course, it was before their continued aggression and forced conversions in the Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, etc, as well as their invasion and conquest of Zoroastrian Persia, not to mention their continued acts of violence against Hindus, Christians and Buddhists in Southeast Asia.
Charming bunch the Muslims - of course we must keep in mind that not all Muslims were involved in the rape and plunder of half the civilized world, and, of course, not all Muslims are involved in forcibly converting non-Muslims. After all, Islam is a religion of peace.
True the Jews supported the Muslims at times - so did some Christian sects - particularly under the menace of Byzantine threats against "unorthodox" sects.
But my guess is both Christians and Jews, having been relegated to Dhimmitude under the benevolent rule of Islam, had more than one occasion to regret their choice.
In its early years, Christianity, in contrast to Islam, relied upon example and arguement to convert people. It was only AFTER exposure to the fanatic attacks of Islamic fundamentalists in the Mediterranean area that Christianity acquired a violent streak in its religious fervour, and even that was limited to a degree.
-The mosques were built very soon after the Muslims took Jerusalem from the Byzantines. History reports that they replaced only rubble and debris.
-Even well after the conquest of Constantinople, which took place 700 years after the Haram-al-sharif mosques were built, Jews sought and were granted refuge in the Ottoman Empire.
-Yes, there were wars between Muslims and Christians during these times. There were also wars between Protestants and Catholics. The Thirty Years War happened during the same century as the last siege of Vienna. There are few if any wars between Protestants and Catholics today (Ireland is more of a political than a religious matter).
-Eric