Heritage month

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UNITY IN DIVERSITY 🌷

My history lesson this week with the grade 11’s was on the Crusades… when it happened, how it happened and why it happened?
I also wanted to draw a parallel between the past and present and for the girls to realise that not many things have changed in the world…that subversive tactics used to wage war or overpower a people are still being used to day.


But 1st, let’s have a bit of a History lesson:
The 1st Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II in France on the premise that Jerusalem, the home of Christ, and holy to all Christians, had to be liberated from Muslim hands.
This reasoning would be understandable and even noble if the Crusades had been launched 400 years before.
You see, Jerusalem came under Muslim control in 637 during the rule of Umar al Farouq (RA)…. So that leaves a 458 year gap between the 2 events!
Why did the Christian world take so long to act?
The Christian world at that time was very divided and there was lots of infighting…Countries and kings waged war against each other and even the church was split in two: the Latin Roman church based in Rome and the Eastern Byzantine church based in Constantinople.
Urban II used the crusade as a means of consolidating his power and unifying all of Europe against a common enemy… Islam.
Now, history has borne testimony to the justice, integrity and compassion with which Muslim rulers governed the lands in their control.
History books are filled with pages of reports of how non-Muslim communities flourished under Muslim rule throughout the ages.
So how was it possible for the crusades to be launched when Christians were being well taken care of and respected in Muslim controlled lands?
Well this was the age before newspapers and social media therefore it was easy to concoct and fabricate stories about a people who lived 1000s of miles away and who were none the wiser as to the sinister plans of Pope Urban II and his supporters.
Urban II, the man of God, on 27th November 1095, gathers his follows in Clermont France and insights them to a holy war against a “ vile race”. 
Urban II used powerful, emotive and fiery propaganda to serve his ends. He fabricated horrendous lies about Muslims and their treatment of Christians in the Holy Lands to justify his call for a crusade.
He was fully aware of his divisive actions and the consequences of demonising Muslims and creating the notion of “the other”.
1000s of peasants hoping for salvation and 1000s of gentry hoping for financial gain marched on to liberate the Holy land, all brimming with emotions, seething with hate and thirsty for “heathen” blood.
History bears witness to the cruelty and barbarism of the 1st Crusade. History bears witness to the carnage and devastation left in the wake of the marauding Christian armies. History bears witness to the indiscriminate killing of these so called soldiers of God.  
Urban II launched the 1st of a series of attacks on the Holy land that would last for centuries, the consequences of which are still impacting the world today.
So we understand that one of the main contributing factors for the Crusade was the uniting of Christians under the leadership of the Catholic church in pursuit of a common enemy. 
Another contributing factor is the weakness of the Muslim state at the time and the divisions within the Muslim community.
Christians saw the weakness of a once united nation who through their unity in belief and common values were set to conquer the world! But the love of power and greed soon gripped the Muslim rulers, causing this once glorious and victorious nation to crumble under the weight of infighting.
The Christian armies delighted in the sorry state of the Muslim world and took advantage of the fractured states.
At the time of the 1st crusade, the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities of Jerusalem waited in vain for help to arrive from their Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, who sadly commanded a weakened army that could not aid them at a time of great need.
So what is the relevance of this History lesson to the modern world we live in?
One doesn’t have to stretch the memory too far back in time to recall: the extermination of indigenous people of North America and Australia; the pogroms of Nazi Germany; Apartheid South Africa racist policies; the Rwandan, Bosnian and Rohingya genocides; The imprisonment of millions of Uighurs; the brutalisation of Muslims in India and Kashmir; The extermination of Sunni Muslims by the Assad Alawi regime in Syria and the daily occupation and destruction of Palestine… the list is endless.
These are clear and obvious occasions where governments used and still are using the idea of  the “other” and “they are not like us”,  scenario to create tension and spread hateful propaganda to eliminate an entire people. 
These governments and their media supporters spread lies and fabricate ridiculous stories about a group of people who they feel threatened by.
In most of the cases I have cited above, the “otherness” was based on race, religion or ethnicity…so clear and distinct therefore making it easy to discriminate one could say.
These ideas are so archaic and barbaric and reeks of colonialist policies that they couldn’t possibly have a place in the 21st Century?  Shockingly, however we still find them used today to serve a sinister and selfish purpose.
Donald Trump, the leader of the “free world” won his election on creating the idea of the “other” and sowing the seeds of fear within the populace of the world’s “greatest” country. 
He fed his base lies about Muslims, Mexicans and perpetuates the disgusting stereotypes of his own black citizens. 
His rhetoric is so vile and nonsensical, yet it is believed to the extent that violence against these minority groups is on the increase not only in the US but in all of the western world.
Mass shootings in places of worship, attacks on minorities and unspeakable police brutality are on the increase.
At a time when the world should be opening up and embracing all its people and addressing the wrongs of the past, racism, prejudice and negative stereotyping is on the increase. 
Why is this happening though? Well, in my opinion it is being used as a means of control, gaining power and wealth.
At the very beginning of this piece, I mentioned that it was easy for Urban II, remember him?… to create lies about the Muslim world  because there was no media, but this may seem a contradiction as we’re in the age of media where information is readily available and quickly shared but false and fake news is still the order of the day?!
This is because Urban II and his ilk were power hungry war mongers who controlled the masses through manipulation and propaganda with the aim of stealing what belonged to another people. These people were blissfully unaware to his sinister plotting and scheming and only realised once it was too late.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Of course it does because the very same tactics are being used today… the masses are being controlled by the media which spews out garbage to keep everyone entertained and occupied…. So the truth is being shared but as side-line news that doesn’t really interest anyone… fickle humans are more interested in sports, music, movies, Tik Tok videos and FB to care about what their governments are really doing! 
This obsession with and addiction to entertainment leaves  the powers that be, free to continue their plunder and pillage as they see fit… Iraq and Afghanistan comes rushing to my mind. 
Let’s not despair because the human spirit is wonderful and enduring. We have the power and the ability to bring about change. 
It will take some effort but we can do it if we have the will:
▪︎We need to start having real and meaningful conversations in our homes, schools, places of work, places of worship, in the taxi queue, at weddings and parties, etc.
▪︎We must refuse to allow our minds to be colonised and for us to be used as pawns in an evil game that will only benefit a few. 
▪︎We must make a concerted effort to find benefit and value in our differences… We must celebrate our differences and see the beauty and miracle in different types of hair, skin colour and body shape.
▪︎Kindness and compassion should trump (excuse the pun) class and social standing.
▪︎We must ensure future generations do not ascribe to racist ideologies of “the other”. We have a duty to break the cycle of ignorance and fear mongering.
▪︎We must engender humility by showing an interest in learning about others and creating opportunities of support and co-creation. 
▪︎We must encourage the speaking of truth and standing up for justice. 
▪︎We must strive to leave a legacy of building bridges and ubuntu.
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” Quran 49:13
#ubuntu#unity#celebratediversity 

Amīna Bagus-du Toit

Headmistress 🌷