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Article: There's another famous July 4th - Saladin's victory over Crusaders
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- July 9, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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I wonder if any of the Christian, Jewish or Moslem Americans who
celebrated the Fourth of July were aware of the fact that another
great historical event occurred on that date 800 years ago.
It was on July 4, 1187, that the armed vanguard of medieval Western
Christianity - the Crusaders - were defeated by the Moslems'
brilliant and magnanimous military leader, Saladin, just up the road
from here at the Horns of Hattin.
And because of that defeat, the Christians were unable to prevent
Saladin's victorious entry into Jerusalem three months later and
Palestine's subsequent prolonged reversion to Islamic rule.
It wasn't until 1917 that Christianity regained political
pre-eminence in this ...