Conquering Libya (1911–1932): A Crusade?

When the Italian government decided to conquer Libya, the military expeditionary force was instructed to avoid any action that could be interpreted as an affront to the religion of the population. However, in the course of military operations, several Muslim religious buildings were damaged or destroyed and Ottoman propaganda presented the aggression as a Christian attack on Islam. The resistance against the occupation soon took on the characteristics of holy war, its main leaders raising the banner of the jihād.