Small, unnoticed Christian “crusaders” journeyed to the Holy Land between the year 628 A.D. and late 1095 A.D. During that brief period, Moslems had control of Jerusalem, but the city continued to admit visiting Christians. That situation changed in the 11th Century. During that century, a group of Seljuk Turks seized control of Jerusalem, and they closed the Holy City to all non-Muslims.

Christians appealed to the man seen as the highest Christian authority then living on the Earth—the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. On November 27, 1095 Pope Urban made a speech, a speech in which he encouraged the mass exodus of Christian crusaders to the Holy Land. That was the first Christian statement in which a crusade to the Holy Land was depicted as being a battle against “infidels.”

The Christians, whose religious history had focused heavily on Jerusalem, did not want to be kept out of that city. The Christians labeled the Muslims as “infidels,” even though Mohammed had originally asked his followers to face Jerusalem while praying. The Christians rejected Mohammed’s claim that he too was a prophet from God, much like Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Their rejection served as a motivation for the first Christian crusaders.


The driving force behind the actions of the Christian crusaders became clear on that November day, when Pope Urban addressed the crowd. He said, “The West must march to the defense of the East. All should go, rich and poor alike.” That statement began the marches to the Holy Land, marches led by the bearer of a red cross.

The last of the medieval crusades took place on May 18, 1291 A.D. That was the day when the city of Acre became the last former Christian holding to fall into the hands of the inhabitants of Palestine. Many centuries later, in the mid 1860’s, Acre became the finishing line for a forced crusade.

That forced crusade was not made by any of the Christian crusaders, nor was it an attempt to recreate the medieval crusades. During the tumultuous decade of the 19th Century, the Persian government forced a government prisoner and his family to travel east from Baghdad to Constantinople, to Adrianople and finally to Acre. Acre was then a filthy prison city, the right place for such a prisoner. The prisoner had claimed to be the founder of new religion.

Now in the 21st Century many adherents of that very religion participate in a pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel, a city close to Acre. Their prophet had resided in a residence near Haifa, following his release from the Acre prison. Those who might have planned to go on such a pilgrimage in July of 2006 may have changed their plans. During that month, Muslim missiles were raining down on Haifa.

How unfortunate that the Christian refusal to consider the teaching of Mohammed has now been reflected in the acts of the followers of Mohammed. How unfortunate that the Christian crusaders appear to have brought more hatred than love to the Holy Land. Now the world really needs a large measure of Christian love, in order to restore peace in the area that’s revered by followers of four world religions.

Christian crusaders should pray for the appearance of such love.