By Theodore Shoebat
While November 25th is the day in which Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, we must realize that November 25 has a much great significance than just turkey and Puritans. On November 25th, 1177, the Christian crusaders defeated a 26,000 man army in what is called the miracle at Montgisgard.
Saladin, who became an idol for the Muslim pantheon, ravished Egypt in 1177 with twenty five thousand men, and as they brought destruction on lands before them and decapitated many, they made their way to Jerusalem–that City on a Hill. What man would raise his sword to scatter such a mob of ruffians? A leper named Baldwin IV, with only six hundred knights rushed their fortress in Ascalon and came before Saladin who now stood stricken with surprise that a man so inexperienced in the ways of war executed such a bold move.
The men stood ready in Montigisard, and with eyes locked upon the enemy made their charge, led by St. George himself as the warriors themselves attested. A thousand Mameluke fighters, brave and viscous, surrounded Saladin to protect him, but before their faces were seen descending swords manned by fearless soldiers, striking down hard upon their armour, leaving most of them dead and Saladin vulnerable. He fled, and Jerusalem–that City of God–was saved. (Carroll, A History of Christendom, vol. iii, ch. iii, p. 121; see also John France, War Cruel and Unremitting, in Thomas F. Madden’s Crusades, part 3, p. 68 )
Saladin tried to lay siege to the Crusader castle of Kerak. The eyes of the Christians could not turn without seeing sharp arrows moving to and fro, being propelled at them by the warriors of Islam. So many were these devastating rocks that the men dared not to raise a hand, nor lift up their heads in utter fear of being struck dead. Some Christian soldiers attempted to setup a war machine, and as they were assembling the device a wave of stones were hurled at them. They fled with the fear of death in that somber moment. The unceasing barrage of these stones compelled the men to shake in fear, and even those who retired to the innermost parts of the citadel, under the deepest seclusion, were seized by the harrowing sound of the torrent of stones and taken by horror. But the Muslims were again repulsed by the same leper, Baldwin IV. (Carroll, A History of Christendom, vol. iii, ch. iv, p. 123; William in John France, War Cruel and Unremitting, in Thomas F. Madden’s Crusades, part 3, p. 70)
In the film, Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott, after the Battle of Hattin Saladin meets with Guy, the king of Jerusalem, and the knight Reynald. Saladin then offers Guy a cup of melting ice, but the king gives it to Reynald who gluttonously accepts and drinks it. Saladin subtly says that he did not give the cup to Reynold who he then punishes by decapitation. After this murder, the Muslim conquerer tells Guy, “A king does not kill another king.” The scene is rubbish. This is what really took place: Saladin told Reynald to convert to Islam, and when he refused, Saladin shouted “swine”, cut the man down at his shoulder and had his men behead the knight. It was after this that Saladin told Guy, “Kings do not kill kings.” (Belloc, The Crusades, ch. xii, p. 232)
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