What the History Channel Leaves Out With the Crusades (News/Vanity)

Mid-day.com ^ | November 7, 2005 | Prasad Patil

[Wuli]

“It will help people to understand why the world is the way it is today,” said Richard Bradley, founder of Lion Television, which has produced The Crusades: Crescent and The Cross — a documentary series that will premiere in 130 countries on The History channel on November 13 and 14.

The Crusades: Crescent and The Cross unfurls two centuries of war about two cultures impassioned by belief. The series will be an epic of human drama against the back drop of the holy.

It was a collision of two great faiths and of two of the the world’s most enduring and powerful religions. These religions fought for nearly two decades seeking control over what each claimed as the rightful holy lands of their people.

[RobbyS]

The problem is they KNOW little about the Muslim faith.

[Great Caesars Ghost]

'O People, Strike at their necks!'

[RobbyS]

The Crusades, in fact, made little impression on the Muslims. It was not until the 19th Century when they fell under Christian domination that they began to bring up the Crusades.

[AntiGuv]

That's very true, but even with the depletion of the Byzantine imperial forces, the local Syrian and Egyptian militias should've been more than adequate to fend off the Muslims if they were inclined to do so. Even if they failed, the conquered territories would've been impossible to administer if they resisted, and such resistance would've made a Byzantine reconquest inevitable very soon afterward.

The problem was that the Muslims treated the Coptic and Syriac Christians better than the Byzantine authorities had in a long while. The rest is history!

[RobbyS]

For a long time the Copts and Syrians thought of the Muslims as just another Christian sect. And for a long time the Arabs kept themselves apart from the "infidels." Cairo began as an Arab camp.

[Great Caesars Ghost]

Heh heh. I want to post this picture, but it's probably not allowed. MSN.com has a photo and a headline entitled 'Haute Couture Hijab.' I'm sure you all want to see it.

[Great Caesars Ghost]

ROME on HBO is better

HEeeeeee hee hee! You can't just go around killing people's slaves, it's not polite! Besides, it was MY slave!"

[yoe]

I also hope you notified the History Channel, thanks so much for the history.

[SittinYonder]

How does something that happened well before the advent of the USA become a hit piece on the USA?

That's what I was wondering when the episode last night concluded with a dig at President Bush.

[Great Caesars Ghost]

Just like Shelby Steele who was still angry at Whites the other night because of Andrew Jackson. Without new slights to form new grievances, you have to go back until you find something you can really sink your teeth into.

BTW, Steele has a new book entitled "What Whites Owe Blacks and what Blacks Owe Whites." The answer to the first part is Respect, Opportunity, and and End to Racism. The answer to what Blacks owe Whites? Nothing.

And now back to the topic at hand, sorry for the misdirection, but the refusal to let go reminded me of American Blacks.

[AntiGuv]

Most of the Jews of Palestine welcomed the Muslims as well. About the only people that resisted were the Orthodox Christians of Palestine and Carthage. Things got quite ugly in those places.. The only ones who made any effort to defend Syria were the Byzantine imperial forces, and once they were crushed the way was clear until the Arabs met stiff local resistance from the Orthodox of Anatolia. Egypt was unceremoniously abandoned by the Orthodox after what amounted to little more than a few skirmishes. Of course they planned to return triumphant in short order, but we know how that worked itself out..

[shezza]

Bump!

[lugsoul]

Pro-Bush v. Anti-Bush is a very narrow prism through which to view the world. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon one.

[jordan8]

Watched the first episode. Pretty much a propaganda hit piece. Tonight is the Muslims turn, we'll see if it is as critical.

In a poignant segment, Egyptian professor Dr Taef El-Azhari visits the abandoned city of Ma’arrant Numan, where Christian soldiers committed the most shocking atrocities of the First Crusade. A group of children playing nearby spontaneously follow him around the site and learn about their own history.

One of the most chilling moments of the film, you can almost see the suicide bombers being born. The professor seemed to be filled wiht hate and you can bet that he didn't provide any context or question Islam's rights to conquer these formerly Christian lands. It would be worth his life even if he were inclined to do so.

Of course this about the modern world, not just Iraq but London and France and Germany as well. It's part of the whole enemy of my enemy is my friend that has the left embracing Islam. If you don't think so, read this.

[JustAnotherOkie]

When I don't know much about something I Shut Up.

[Siena Dreaming]

Unfortunately, your comment does not address the comment to which you are replying.

[pro610]

Thanks,
I enjoyed that.
What is unfortunate is that the knights Templars became Corrupt and the Church ended up denouncing them and many were burned at the stake ie; Jaques De Maloy.The remaining Templars blended with the Rosicrucian's and The Rosicrucian's became Freemasonry which is full of Eastern mysticism and ritual.

[bmwcyle]

[Antoninus]

You are absolutely correct, but it's worth noting that the Islamic conquest would never have succeeded were it not for the Byzantine Orthodox imperial persecution of the Monophysite Christian heretics..

That's only half the story. The real cause of the easy Islamic conquest of much of the Empire's eastern territory was the fact that immediately before the Muslims arrived on the scene, the Byzantines had just finished defeating the Persians in a economically draining and militarily exhausting war that had been occurring on-again-off-again for over 100 years. The weakness of Persia after this defeat by Byzantium is also what allowed the Islamic armies to so easily engulf what had previously been a powerful kingdom.

As for the monophysite heretics, they soon learned to regret their decision to abandon the Chalcedonians and support the Islamic invaders. Considering the pathetic and oppressed remnant of Copts in Egypt today, it's clear that their decision didn't serve them well.

[RobbyS]

I mistspoke: what I should have said is that they know a little, and as the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.