In the Year 1187 Saladin Took Back Jerusalem

Now that we've gone back far enough to account for the actions and reasons there was even a call for a Crusade, let's fill in a few blanks.

The "Patterns of Interaction" stated that Saladin took back Jerusalem in 1187. Here's where more trouble begins and I'm sure you won't be surprised by naming the guy that started it all. Let me quote directly from the book.

"Eventually, Saladin and his Western Opponent King Richard I of England signed a Truce. Their agreement gave Jerusalem to the Muslims but granted Western Pilgrims access to Christian holy places".

If you hold on a second and try to connect the dots between the British and Saladin's murderers, you might begin to see that Israel wasn't mentioned. In addition to that, you may wonder why the English had any position to speak for the Christians or the Jews. I certainly do.

Having quoted these things above, I must add something that happened roughly 13 years after the so called Truce was in effect.  Being careful not to put my two cents in or impose my opinion, I'll go back and quote the statements found on page 281 of the "Patterns of Interaction". Here we go.

"The new threat to Turkish power was the Mongol army of conquest and destruction led by Genghis Khan. Early in the 1200s, Genghis Khan had forged his Mongol tribes into a unified force and conquered China".

The following is an important point as it will illustrate why the previous statements of "Inter-generational Violence" makes so much sense. Before I quote, please take note that we are all creatures of habit and products of our own environment. Here we go.

"In the course of their rampage west, the Mongol armies leveled any cities that dared to resist them. They slaughtered whole populations. In 1258, when Genghis's grandson Hulagu finally took Baghdad, he had tens of thousands of people killed. He burned down the caliph's palace. Mongol belief warned against the spilling of sacred blood so Hulagu executed the last Abbasid caliph by having him wrapped in a carpet and trampled to death by horses."

Emily Post would have loved that as they were so thoughtful in how they murdered the guy.

Having reported these things, I would like to close today's ramblings by making one last quote. The purpose is to bring you up to the 20th century so that you will be able to finally connect all the dots of the time line that still exists for the Israelis. Here we go.

"With untold brutality, Genghis Khan and his successors shaped the biggest land empire in history. The warrior Mongols, however, knew little about administering their territory. As a result, their vast empire crumbled in just a few generations. And out of the rubble the Mongol empire rose another group of Turks-The Ottomans. They would build an empire that lasted into the 20th century"

That's enough for me today so I'll close and continue with this tonight or tomorrow. I hope you are beginning to make some sense out of all this because, to me, it explains the foundations that produced so much trouble and the time lines that also explains why we are still dealing with it today and will, without a doubt, have to deal with it tomorrow.

There will be a test but I ain't the guy that's gonna give it.