Until the advent of materialism and 19th c. dogma, Western Civilisation was superior to anything Islam had developed. Islam has not aided in the development of the modern world; in fact civilisation has only been created in spite of Islam. Proof of this resides in the 'modern' world and the unending political-economic and spiritual poverty of Muslim states and regions. Squatting on richer civilisations is not 'progress'. Islam is pagan, totalitarian, and irrational.
On July 25th, Spain commemorates its patron saint, James, son of Zebedee. Known primarily as the elder brother of John the Evangelist, for more than a thousand years he was far better known as Santiago Matamoros — St. James the Moor (that is, Muslim) slayer — and was the embodiment of Spain’s holy war against Islam.
On this of all days, recalling his story seems not only appropriate but necessary.
No More Tribute
In the year 711, Muslims from North Africa poured into Christian Spain—a land many believe St. James himself evangelized after Christ’s death and resurrection.
First, not all of the Spanish peninsula was conquered; a remnant of Christians who refused to bow to Muslim rule retreated into the mountainous region of Asturias in the northwest.
Second, Muslim aggression continued against this fledgling Christian enclave until the late eighth century, when a fragile peace was struck on the humiliating condition that the Christian king of Asturias send 100 virgin girls each year to the emir of Córdoba.
This vile arrangement persisted for decades, until King Ramiro I (r. 842–850) ascended the throne and ended it.
Muslim retribution was swift and terrible. Ramiro’s defiance was viewed not simply as political rebellion but as a blasphemous insult to Islamic supremacy. In response, the emir of Córdoba dispatched a massive army northward to crush the impudent Christians once and for all.
Divine Visitation
According to the chronicles, the Muslim force numbered some 60,000 Arab and Berber warriors gathered from across al-Andalus. Ramiro could muster only 5,000 — a small force of Asturian and Galician warriors armed more with faith than with steel. The two armies met near the town of Clavijo in the rugged hills of La Rioja. The Christians steeled themselves for annihilation. As night fell, King Ramiro withdrew to his tent and prayed for divine aid.
That aid came in the form of a vision. St. James the Greater — apostle of Christ and evangelist of Iberia — appeared to the king: radiant, sword drawn, mounted on a white horse. He promised to ride with the Christian army into battle and crush the enemies of Christ.
Ramiro awoke transformed.
“Saint James fights for us!” he was heard crying before sunrise, as his confused men slowly began to gather. “Let the enemies of Christ fall beneath his sword!”
Blaze of Glory
As the sun broke over the hills on May 23, 844, Christian soldiers reported seeing a dazzling figure on horseback descending from the mountains. It was Santiago, clad in shining armor and slashing through Muslim ranks like divine lightning. With the rallying cry “St. James, and strike for Spain!” the Christians charged, emboldened by the presence of their heavenly commander.
What should have been a slaughter of Christians turned into a complete reversal. The Córdoban army was shattered and routed. Later accounts claimed that every last Muslim soldier was slain, their blood sanctifying the soil of Spain.
King Ramiro emerged victorious and swore eternal devotion to St. James. He vowed to raise churches in the apostle’s honor, to make a yearly pilgrimage to his tomb at Santiago de Compostela, and to revere him as the Patron and Protector of Spain. The tribute of 100 virgin Christian girls faded into memory.
Historical Hero
In time, Santiago Matamoros became the divine icon of Christian Spain, enshrined in countless works of art and sculpture: sword raised high, trampling Muslims beneath the hooves of his white charger.
“With Santiago leading us, we shall trample the Crescent beneath the hooves of our horses,” a Castilian noble declared before charging into battle centuries later.
At the pivotal battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, another chronicler exulted: “Santiago, destroyer of Moors, has descended from heaven with a burning sword! Praise be to God, who has shown us His champion!”
Muslim chroniclers, too, took note of this terrifying “apparition” and the fervent devotion it inspired among Christians. “The Franks call upon a dead apostle,” complained Ibn al-Khatib 500 years later, “and yet their banners advance while ours retreat.”
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
July 15th 1099
In the year 637 the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Levant and the city of Jerusalem from the Byzantine Empire (whose people were often called Eastern Romans). After the conquest Jerusalem was closed to Christians and Christians attempting to make pilgrimages to the city ended up being killed or captured and forced into slavery by Islamic forces. In 1095 Pope Urban II received emissaries from Byzantine Emperor Alexios I asking for military aid against the Seljuk Turks who were conquering territory in Anatolia.
Pope Urban II viewed this as an opportunity to get the kings of Europe to stop fighting each other over what he viewed as petty land squabbles and unite for something greater. At the Council of Clermont Pope Urban gave a rousing sermon and a call to arms where he coined the term "Deus lo Vult" Latin for God wills it.
In November of 1096 a Crusader army of 100.000 or so men from various European nations arrived at Constantinople, where Emperor Alexios provided transport and naval escort across the Mediterranean sea. The Crusaders then landed in Anatolia and recaptured the city of Nicaea from the Seljuks. The Crusaders then pushed through Anatolia and recaptured many other cities for the Byzantine Empire. Along the Crusader's journey many Armenians who had a great hatred of the Turks joined the Europeans on their march to Jerusalem. On October 20th 1097 the Crusaders arrived in the Levant and laid siege to the city of Antioch.
In January of 1099 the Crusaders resumed their push into the Levant and marched on to Jerusalem and into the territory of the Fatimid caliphate. Iftikhar al-Dawla the governor of Jerusalem hearing of the Crusaders approach, forced all Christians living in Jerusalem to leave or be put to the sword. In addition he had all of the trees surrounding Jerusalem cut down so that the Crusaders would not have lumber to construct siege equipment.
On June 7th the Crusaders took the outlying villages of Jerusalem but their assault was delayed due to lack of lumber. On June 17 English and Genoese ships arrived at the port of Jaffa and the crusaders received lumber from them and began construction of siege equipment.
On July 14 30.000 Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon assaulted Jerusalem and after a day of fighting took the city. The Muslim-Jewish defence of the city, with the Jews openly aiding their Muslim overlords, resulted in the destruction of about 50.000 defenders and the killng of a further 3.000 or so citizens. As mandated by medieval warfare, the city was ransacked and appropriately, many mosques and synagogues were plundered and destroyed.
Muslims had done much worse to Christians and their cities as they slaughtered and raped their way from Arabia, through the Levant to Spain, southern France and throughout North Africa. It is estimated that some 30.000 churches were pulled down by Muslims in the 450 years since the Jihad had begun and millions of Christians over this time frame, forcibly enslaved, used as sex chattel or killed.
The current narrative of course sheds tears of anguish over the 3.000 or so Jews and civilians killed by the Crusaders after a brutal campaign of almost unimaginable toil and danger. Yet no tears or angst is emitted over the millions of Christian victims at the hands of the Muslim Jihadis, who over 450 years, desecrated, destroyed and annihilated civilisation.
After taking Jerusalem, a once Christian city, and the holiest of places for the Christian faith, the Crusaders then went on to establish the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch and Counties of Edessa and Tripoli. Godfrey became the first king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.