By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Is man a child of peace or a creature of war? While he seemingly embraces peace, he continuously finds it necessary to exercise those primal instincts he shares with his cousins in the animal kingdom. Yet he alone reserves the distinction of being the only animal to kill his own species. In the view of the ancients, war was noble and courageous, but through the years a negative view of war has evolved and found its way to the hearts of pacifists and the human conscience. The United Nations was created following WWII in order "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war!" Has it succeeded? In more than half a century wars have prevailed and even prospered in every corner of the globe. Anthropologists provide a ray of hope, describing war as fundamentally cultural, "learned by nurture rather than nature", but on a daily basis these warring peoples attempt to prove them wrong. We have honoured wars in our history books, praised and cajoled them. We have given them names, descriptions and characteristics of their own. We have had Cold wars, Civil wars, Punic wars, Peasant wars, Seven-day wars and Seven-year wars and even 100-year wars. There were the Wars of the Roses, and the wars "that launched 1,000 ships" to regain one beautiful woman. None of these wars were longer, more passionate, more zealous, and more durable than the religious wars of the Crusades. Faith at its purest and most innocent was inherent in one of the most horrifying and disastrous wars that spanned several centuries. Beginning in the 11th century, the people of Western Europe launched a series of expeditions or "Crusades" into the East and Constantinople to free the Holy Land from Islamic influence. "To take the cross" meant to become a Crusader (Latin crux or cross). Crusaders attached a symbol of the cross on their tunics. Like so many modern conflicts, the Crusades were not wholly rational or clear. There were multiple causes, of course, fuelled by numerous passions which touched the identity of Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Such passions survived and have not changed much in the holy wars of today. From Charlemagne's time to the beginning of the 11th century relations between Muslims and Europeans remained civil. Muslims however, had always extended their hospitality to Christian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and the holy places under Arab rule since the seventh century. The arrival of the Seljuk Turks in 1050 that swept through Asia Minor, Syria, and the Holy Lands, and captured Jerusalem in 1071, disrupted the flow of Christian pilgrims to their holy places. A military expedition inspired by Pope Urban II in order to defeat a common foe as well as unite European kings and rulers was decided upon at the Council of Clermont in the Autumn of 1095. Pope Urban II gave a strong sermon, urging all Christians to rescue the Holy Land. Amidst shouts "God wills it", thousands enrolled in the cause. In his arousing proclamation the Pope pleaded with the nobles of Europe: "...An accursed race utterly alienated from God... has invaded the land of those Christians and has depopulated them by sword, pillage and fire... On who therefore is the task of avenging those wrongs, and of recovering this territory incumbent, if not upon you?" Thus started Western Europe's most ambitious common enterprise and its most conspicuous failure. One master of epic cinematic story-telling, British director Ridley Scott, is bringing to the screen all the visual artistry, the complex heroism, the clash of cultures and the values of East vs West. His film, the Kingdom of Heaven, (released 5 May worldwide) is a sweeping saga of the wars of the Crusades. From the shores of ancient Rome, home of The Gladiator (2000), Scott has now created the mediaeval world of the noble knights of Europe, and their plight in the Holy Land. He brings to vivid life the titanic struggle between Muslims and Christians that started a millennium ago, and still echoes into the present. The action takes place about the 12th century, shortly before the Third Crusade (there were eight crusades spawning 200 years). The First Crusade (1096--1099) ended by the Crusaders' capture of Jerusalem after years of bloody battles and inner conflicts. Most of the Crusaders returned home. Those who remained founded a group of four Latin states: Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli, and Jerusalem. Less than 50 years after the victories of the First Crusade the Turks regained Edessa. The Second Crusade ended in failure and defeat of the Crusaders, encouraging Muslims to renew their attack on Christian strongholds. The city of Jerusalem and much of the Holy Land were re-captured in 1187 forged by their leader Salaheddin (1137--1193). Salaheddin signed a treaty with Richard the Lion Heart allowing the Christians to visit the city freely. Against this backdrop of mediaeval pageantry and drama, Ridley Scott and screenwriter William Monahan weave a story of lore, courage and skill, defining the true meaning and attributes of knighthood. "The knight stands for an ideal" Monahan explains, "and the period that most illuminates that ideal, would be the Crusades." Balian, a young blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) exists in a living hell, having lost wife and child and nearly lost his faith when destiny comes to call. A noble knight, Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) returned briefly to France from the wars of the holy lands appears from nowhere and claims him as the son he had never known. To Balian he passes his sword and his sacred oath -- "to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work towards harmony between religions and cultures so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth." Together they set off to complete their mission in the Holy Land. The charismatic Saracen leader is played by Syrian actor and filmmaker Ghassan Massoud, who is himself a Muslim. Although a man of war, Salaheddin believes in a dialogue with the enemy. Says Scott: "Saladin (Salaheddin) is revered as a great Muslim leader, as a gentleman, a politician, and a great strategist. It wasn't just the Saracens that adored him" adds Scott, "he was respected by the other side." In the story Balian and Salaheddin come to respect each other's virtues, plight, and faith. Understanding, or lack of it, is at the core of every conflict. We fear what we do not know or understand. That is how an enemy is born. We then demonise the enemy, persecute or kill him with a clear conscience. In Kingdom of Heaven Ridley Scott receives praise from historians for challenging the post-9/11 demonisation of Islam and his attempt to lay to rest the long-held stereotypical view of Muslims, as well as for his accurate character portrayals. "We've chosen a point in history in which we see a state of peace, which we don't seem to be able to attain today." Scott's controversial film over the battle of Jerusalem in the Third Crusade tries to give Westerners a different perspective of the East and West divide. Were Kipling's words then the eternal and irreversible truth? For East is East, and West is West And ne'er the twain shall meet. Or can honourable men face each other on an equal plain, as equal humans should? Despite the lack of understanding that has existed for the last 900 years, fuelled anew by the 9/11 attacks, East and West are actually a great deal closer today than at any other time in history, aided by advanced technology, communication, transportation, and information. East may be East, West may be West, but in this, the 21st century, never has the world been smaller, never have boundaries been less defined in culture, language and knowledge. A dialogue can and must be reached. As Kipling himself elaborates: But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth When two strong men stand face to face, Though they come from the ends of the earth. The Ballad of East and West, Rudyard Kipling (1865--1936) "I'm not fighting another holy war here," argues British director Ridley Scott, "I am trying to get across the fact that not everyone in the West is a good guy and not all Muslims are bad." Amen to that! [email protected]
