Muslim Presenter's Programme on the Crusades

Muslim Presenter Rageh Omar on Christianity

Oh me, oh my. Just when you think you can sit in front of a Channel 4 documentary on the 'history' of Christianity without using your dinner plate as a pheasant and roast potato-laden frisbee, violently tossing your dinner into your TV screen, along comes Rageh Omar's 'historical' account of the Crusades. My objections to this programme were as follows:

1. The 'history' of Christianity, and in particular this evening, the history of the Crusades was being presented by a Muslim. Cracking! Who better to present an impartial, unbiased and historically sound documentary on the Crusades than someone who belongs to the Muslim faith - the very faith that Pope Urban II decreed Crusader Knights were fighting against, in protection of the pilgrims and holy sites? I mean, that makes perfect sense! Did they ever ask Malcolm Muggeridge to do a programme on the history of Jihad? No, of course not, because even though, unlike Omar, that guy would have told the truth, it may have been deemed utterly inappropriate, because he was a Catholic!

2. Even if you overlook the fact that the 'History of Christianity' was being presented by a devout Muslim, Omar made it appear as though the Crusader Knights were baby-eating, child-murdering SS stormtroopers, raping and pillaging whomever they could, snatching the loot from Islamic countries and generally slaughtering anyone who stood in their way, while the Muslim hoardes were peace loving wallflowers who just enjoyed sitting around smoking a hooka and playing chess.

That was until the very end when he mentioned that all the military successes of the Knights were overturned by Saledin who he very subtly lauded while still describing him as the hero of modern jihadists such as Osama Bin Laden and the like. Listen, Rageh, if you think the Crusader Knights took liberties in their defence of the Holy Sites of Christendom, I'm quite sure Saledin's men got even, and then some, and then some more! The grotesque barbarism of Saledins hoards in the middle ages was eye-wateringly horrendous, yet you totally failed to mention any of it, because you took a large swathe of your 'historical' testimony from Muslim scholars and whitewashed the brutality of your elder brothers in the faith to which you belong and then said, "And next week, I'll be looking at the Reformation."

3. Omar, (and I'll say it again, just in case there was any doubt) the Muslim journalist, compared the behaviour of the Knight Crusaders, who were, according to the presenter, given carte blanche by Pope Urban II to obtain 'salvation through slaughter' (rather than the Sacraments of God?!), with the Divine Founder of Chrisitanity, Our Lord Jesus Christ, painfully asking whether Our Lord would have condoned such terrible Crusader crimes being done in His Name...

Well, Rageh, something had to be done, mate, otherwise your Muslim brothers, whose vast empire was expanding at a rate of knots, would have traversed not just across the whole of the Middle East, but the whole of Europe and beyond. The Muslim world was expansionist and the danger was that if the Crusades had not been launched, this country, the UK and all of Europe too would be under Sharia Law and Catholics would have had their heads chopped off with adulterers, homosexuals and compulsive thieves long ago! You think the Muslim faith is so universally peace-loving and gentle? Go to Saudi Arabia or Iran and watch a good old stoning! If you still think the Muslim faith is universally peace-loving and gentle then, then you've got a screw loose, mate!

The only reason Saledin didn't have St Francis killed was because the blessed Saint was so obviously holy and a true and living imitation of Our Blessed Lord. The only reason the Muslim hoards didn't take Assisi is because they fell back with fright from St Clare who held the Monstrance up at them forcing them to withdraw for fear of the blinding light of Christ! The only reason the Islamic Turks of the Ottoman Empire didn't take Vienna after Constantinope had fallen earlier was because the whole Chrisitan Community was praying to Our Lady who granted the Polish forces victory against the odds.

At least Our Blessed Lord did indeed say to His Apostles, "Whoever lives by the sword dies by the sword," encouraging Christians to pray for their enemies, to forgive injuries and wrongs and to seek peace constantly. Compare these words to the words of the founder of Islam, dear brother! At least Catholics can say with their hands on their hearts, that in order to make an assessment of the brutality or wisdom of the Crusades you have to look at historical records. In order to make an assessment of the brutality or wisdom of Islam all you have to do is turn on your TV or read a newspaper. When the Holy Father dares to mention that historically-speaking the Islamic faith was spread by the sword, vast numbers of Muslims call for his beheading and the secular world cries out "injustice". When a Muslim presenter rewrites history and pins the blame of the Crusades solely at the door of the Church, everyone nods in agreement at his sense of horror.

Personally, I don't go around picking fights with people of other faiths, I try to seek peace with all, but that documentary on the 'History of Christianity' was about as impartial, unbiased and historically accurate as the views on the Holocaust held by a renegade SSPX bishop who has been generously, compassionately and courageously welcomed back into the True Fold of the Church by the Holy Father, even though he's clearly stark, raving bonkers!

The upshot of the misrepresentation of history employed in this programme is that it gives yet more leverage to people who dislike the Church and more opportunity for them to say, "See, I told you the Church was nasty...look what they did!" I'm waiting for a documentary which reflects truthfully the life and history of the Catholic Church without prejudice, which is balanced and which doesn't attempt to spread doubt and error into the hearts of all who watch it. I could be waiting a long time!