Op-Ed: Columbus’ fear of Islam, rooted in Europe’s Crusades, shaped his view of Native Americans A statue of Christopher Columbus with his face and hands spray-painted red A statue of Christopher Columbus in Miami was vandalized during protests in June 2020.(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press) In all that has been written about Columbus — from his being the first Italian American to the progenitor of a continental genocide — one of the most crucial aspects of his biography is missing: A primary force behind Columbus’ Atlantic crossings was a fear and hatred of Islam. This shaped how white Europeans engaged...