The Politically Incorrect Guide toIslam (and the Crusade!:A Book You're Not
Supposed to ReadThe splendidly titledThe Monks of Kublai
Khan Emperor ofChina,or The History of
the Lifeand Travels of Rabban Sawma.
Envoy and Plenipotentiaryofthe Mongol
Khans to the Kings of Europe. andMarkos
Who As Mar Yahbh-Allaha Ill Became Patri-
arch of the Nestorian Church in Asia,trans-
lated by Sir E. A. WallisBudge. First
published in London in 1928, this book islong
out of print and is just the sort of booktha t
mod ern-da y PC aca dem ics wan t tomake
sure stays that way. However, theAssyrian
International News Agency hasdone a
splendid service by making it available
online at http://aina.org/books/
mokk/mokk.htm#c72. The whole story is
here, from the riseand gloryof the Nestori-
ansto the monstrous persecutions that
destroyed Christianity in Central Asia. It also
tells the story of the remarkable journey of
Rabban Sawma, the emissary of the Mongol
ruler Arghun, to Europe to try to get support
from the European kings for a joint operation
against the Muslims. It's indefatigably
researched, elegant, and eloquentlytold.
re mai ned so ; aft er 12 91 , the y wer e go ne. Nor
di d th e Cr us ad er s pr ev en t Is la mi c wa rr io rs
from crossing into Europe.
Ho we ve r, it is si gn if ic an t tha t th e le ve l of
Islamic adventurism in Europe dropped of
si gn if ic an tl y du ri ng th e er a of th e Cr us ad es.
Th e co nq ue st of Sp ai n, th e Mi dd le Ea st , an d
North Africa, as well as the first siege of Con-
st an ti no pl e, al l to ok pl ac e we ll be fo re th e
F i r st Cr us ad e , T he b at tl e s o f Ko so vo a nd
Varna, which heralded a resurgent Islamic
ex pa ns io ni sm in Ea st er n Eu ro pe , to ok pl ac e
af te r th e co ll ap se of th e la st Cr us ad er ho ldings
in the Middle East.
S o wh a t d i d t he Cr us a d e s a c c o mp l i s h?
Th ey bo ug ht Eu ro pe ti me—ti me th at mi gh t
hav e mea nt the dif fer enc e bet ween herdem isean d
dh im mi tu de an d he r ri se an d re tu rn toglory. If
Godfrey of Bouillon, Richard the lion-hearted, and
countless others hadn't risked
th ei r li ve s to up ho ld th e ho no r of Ch ri st an d
Hi s Ch ur ch th ou sa nd s of mi le s fr o m ho me , t he
j i ha d i s t s wo ul da l mo s t c e r t a i nl y ha vesw ep t
ac ro ss Eu ro pe mu ch so on er. No t on lydi d th e
Cr usa de r ar mi es kee p th em ti ed do wnat a
cr uc ia l pe ri od , fi gh ti ng fo r An ti oc han d
As ca lo n in st ea d of Va rn a an d Vi en na , th em
al so br ou gh t to ge th er ar mi es th at wo ul d no t
ha ve ex is te d ot her wi se. P op e Ur ba n' s ca ll
united men around a cause; had that cause not existed
or been publicized throughout Europe.