Paper for class on violence in religion

so I have a 15 page paper to write this semester. I think I want to right about violence in the name of religion but I dont know much about it other than a sam harris exert I read about muslims. but im wondering how I could refine my topic and form it...

into an argumentative thesis. any suggestions?

How about the attacks on Muslims in the US in a post 9/11 world? I think at least a few were sent to hospitals and or killed...

you could even call it the Xenophic Era of America: thank goodness for Republican hypocrisy! Or something, using the example of the speech in Egypt by Obama recently AND his remarks about the first day of Ramadan extending a hand to the Muslim community as a counter point to what Bush did (nothing...) to help the cultural issues that have boiled over in the aftermath of 9/11.

Subtopics:

- the purported Jewish annihilation of several tribes that inhabited Canaan before God gave it to them as the 'promised land'.

- the Maccabean uprising that eventually led to the destruction of the Jewish Temple

- the Bar Kochba revolt of the 2nd century

- the pogram against heretics in the 4th century that lasted for the better part of 1000 years

- The Crusades

- The Inquisition

- The Witch Trials

- The pogram against Jesus Killer Jews in WWII (as they were referred to to justify their extermination)

- Sunni vs. Suffi violence

- ...and of course, 9/11

Don't forget the Isreali / Palastinian conflict, and Northern Ireland,

Even columbus was motivated to convert the heathens, and they killed any that would not convert. This was on his second trip, the one most history books ignore. That then led to terrible attrocities against all the indiginous people in the americas in the name of spreading christianity.

Also there are the fundamentalist nutjobs who attack abortion clinics and doctors.

Every conflict is complex. For example the violence between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland was more about whether Ireland would be independant or part of Great Britain. Often religion is used to motivate people to go to war but underlying reasons are different.

I agree, the protestant / catholic thing had more to do with irish autonomy than religious differences. But that is how each defined the 2 sides.