PA daily prints poem calling for “the sword” to kill Israelis “and purify the land from the impurities of the infidels”
Headline: “The land is full of foreigners and Mongols”
[From a poem by Palestinian poet Mustafa Khaddash:]
“67 years of degradation and shame
And the flare of fire in the depths of the heart
67 years in dark depths
The fruit of the plot of the thieves of the family’s land and house
67 years in a burning furnace
Has left us nothing but determination and perseverance
67 years in the forest and in it gangs
Of cobras and predatory and murderous animals
…
Where is Qutuz, I wonder, and where is Baibars
The land is full of foreigners and Mongols
Where is the sword of Saladin, to destroy them
And purify the land from the impurities of the infidels.”
Notes: Saladin - Muslim leader and Sultan of Egypt and Syria who defeated the Christian crusaders and conquered Jerusalem in 1187.
Qutuz and Baibar – Mamluk Sultans of Egypt. Both were seen as saviors of the Muslim world, defeating the Mongols. Qutuz was the third Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and reigned from 1259 to 1260 C.E. Under Qutuz’s command, the Mamluks were victorious over the Mongols in the battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 C.E. This battle was the first significant victory of the Mamluks over the Mongols, and the first time the Mongols had ever been permanently beaten back in battle - a significant turning point, ending the perception of the Mongols as invincible. Qutuz was one of the most popular Mamluk sultans, not least because of this victory, and holds a high position in the history of Islam. He was assassinated by Baibar over a dispute over the governorship of Aleppo, which Qutuz denied him. Baibar consequently followed him as the fourth Mamluk Sultan. Before the assassination, Baibar was a commander in the Egyptian army when it defeated the seventh crusade in 1248-1254 C.E., led by the King of France, Louis IX. Baibar also commanded the vanguard of the Egyptian army in the Battle of Ain Jalut. Baibar reigned from 1260 to 1277 C.E. when he died drinking poison that was intended for someone else.
[From a poem by Palestinian poet Mustafa Khaddash:]
“67 years of degradation and shame
And the flare of fire in the depths of the heart
67 years in dark depths
The fruit of the plot of the thieves of the family’s land and house
67 years in a burning furnace
Has left us nothing but determination and perseverance
67 years in the forest and in it gangs
Of cobras and predatory and murderous animals
…
Where is Qutuz, I wonder, and where is Baibars
The land is full of foreigners and Mongols
Where is the sword of Saladin, to destroy them
And purify the land from the impurities of the infidels.”
Notes: Saladin - Muslim leader and Sultan of Egypt and Syria who defeated the Christian crusaders and conquered Jerusalem in 1187.
Qutuz and Baibar – Mamluk Sultans of Egypt. Both were seen as saviors of the Muslim world, defeating the Mongols. Qutuz was the third Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and reigned from 1259 to 1260 C.E. Under Qutuz’s command, the Mamluks were victorious over the Mongols in the battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 C.E. This battle was the first significant victory of the Mamluks over the Mongols, and the first time the Mongols had ever been permanently beaten back in battle - a significant turning point, ending the perception of the Mongols as invincible. Qutuz was one of the most popular Mamluk sultans, not least because of this victory, and holds a high position in the history of Islam. He was assassinated by Baibar over a dispute over the governorship of Aleppo, which Qutuz denied him. Baibar consequently followed him as the fourth Mamluk Sultan. Before the assassination, Baibar was a commander in the Egyptian army when it defeated the seventh crusade in 1248-1254 C.E., led by the King of France, Louis IX. Baibar also commanded the vanguard of the Egyptian army in the Battle of Ain Jalut. Baibar reigned from 1260 to 1277 C.E. when he died drinking poison that was intended for someone else.