Thomas Woods, author of How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, writes in RedState.org:
I was stunned to hear Islamic anti-defamation groups condemn Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven."The Muslims appear much nobler than the Christians in the film, and on the Christian side the only remotely sympathetic characters are at best agnostic. Jonathan Riley-Smith, an expert on the Crusades, described the movie as "rubbish" for just this reason - the film, he says, is "not historically accurate at all" in its depiction of "the Muslims as sophisticated and civilized, and the Crusaders are all brutes and barbarians. It has nothing to do with reality."
More important than the film itself, though, is the history behind the Crusades themselves. Moviegoers who knew little of the period walked away with a distorted understanding of the Crusades that played into politically correct stereotypes.Proper context for the Crusades must begin at the beginning, with the First Crusade (1096-1099). Yet - and here is the point - even the First Crusade was not the real beginning of the story.
The real beginning came in the century following the death of Muhammad in 632. During that incredible hundred years, Muslims spread their religion by force throughout Arabia, and into the modern Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, as well as into Egypt, north Africa, and Spain. Further progress into Western Europe was stopped cold by Charles Martel and his Frankish warriors at the battle of Poitiers/Tours in 732.It is easily forgotten that some of these territories had been heavily Christian when the Muslims took them over. No one today thinks of Syria and Egypt as Christian centers, but in the seventh century they certainly were. The ancient city of Antioch had been home to a school of Christian thought second only to that of Alexandria, and Egypt had been the birthplace of Christian monasticism...
Read it all.
And yet there are people, even on Our side of the argument, who believe Christians are as bad or worse, and that the best thing that could happen is a Removal of Christianity from all aspects of civilization. If that is not working for the goals of islam, I don't know what is.
yes ... and the ottoman turk empire which pushed the first Christians out of their lands (with Armenia -don't forget the slaughter of almost half of all Armenian Christians at the hands of the practitioners of the "relgion of peace" first years of 20thCentury) - the first (famous 7) Christian Churches, Constantinople and wonderous architecture - center of the Holy Roman Empire, birth place of Mother Mary all desecrated by the islamists - in what is now modern "secular muslim state" of Turkie
the geolocation of the first mass-persecutions of the Christians - and, of course, at the hands of the islamofacists (things never do change)
Christian boys were taken at age 12 and made to serve in the grand turk's army -never allowed to marry, never allowed to return home, never allowed out of garrison - except to go do battle.
Battle being the only outlet for the Janisaries - they were very serious about getting out to fight - once - the rumor of impending war spread -only to be postponed. Enraged Christian slave soldiers of the islamist-turk - rioted inside their garrison. the turk answered their riot by turning the cannons onto the enclosed Janisaries- most -of course slaughter - by the islamists... Read about the treatment of the Harim women (in Serge Trifkovic's "Sword of the Prophet" - stomach turning horrors...) all by the practitioners of the relgion of peace
Yes Gary, the hatred for Christianity is absolutely irrational. If you happened to watch "Empire Falls" on HBO last night, it took about one minute for Christianity to be slandered. Something about how Christianity caused the American Indians to disappear. I am weary of hearing how the White Man is the source of all evil and every other way of life was somehow so innocent and perfect before we ruined everything. Mankind is basically evil in nature... you don't have to teach a child how to be bad, you have to struggle to raise them to be presentable in society.
Having spent 9 years among Indians, Carolyn, I have to wonder how much longer such PC Lies are going to continue to be spread by the Leftist Academia. Eh, kj?
btw, kj, every Indian I've ever known always voted Republican. I heard many stories about back-stabbing by Democrats, during the two-score powwows I worked at, all the way from the NY border to the Maryland border of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately I have to say the Republicans are not too much better in this regard. Lesser of two evils dontchaknow.
I was stunned to hear Islamic anti-defamation groups condemn Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven."
The Muslims appear much nobler than the Christians in the film,...
That's why they only condemned the film. Had the film been more accurate and not showed the Muslims as being nobler, the film, theatres and everyone involved with it would have been firebombed. To get these Islamic anti-defamation groups to give the film two thumbs up, the film would have had to portray Muslims as comic-book heroes, the source of all good and light and beauty. So, the film makers were lucky they just got a condemnation.
Our kids are barely taught any history in school anymore. And what is taught is PeeCee. So they go to these historical type movies, and come out with totally distorted views of events in the past. Sure, most people tell you that you don't go see a Hollywood movie to learn about history, but you assume that the general gist of the story is about right. The general gist of the Kingdom of Heaven movie was: Muslims noble, Christians bad. This is the theme running rampant through our society these days, via the news media, Hollywood, politicians, teachers, everyone. Greasing up the future generation for Islamification, destroying their pride and self-worth so they don't fight back.
What is encouraging is that this Dhimmi film appears to have been a blockbuster flop, since it cost, according to IMDB [Internet Movie Data Base] $130,000,000 to produce and has earned less than half of that back in worldwide release, so far.
I don't think the Saladin action figures are going to make up for the difference.
(Although I hear the Sir Guy doll -with removable- head, is flying off the shelves in Baghdad.)