Paul Moses: The Saint and the Sultan: The Crusades, Islam, and Francis of Assisi’s Mission of Peace

Abstract

This book by Pulitzer Prize-winning New York journalist Paul Moses retells the story of a meeting that took place in the summer of 1219 during the Fifth Crusade (1213-21) between Saint Francis of Assisi - one of the best-loved saints of Catholic Christianity - and the Ayyubid Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil (r. 1218-38) in the Egyptian city of Damietta at the mouth of the Nile. In a dangerous and daring move by crossing enemy lines to advocate peace, St Francis and Malik al-Kamil shared a brief dialogue about war, peace and faith in the One God. The conversation inspired St Francis to return home with a bold challenge to his fellow Christians: to live peacefully with the Muslims despite the war between their religious leaders and to stop warfare of any kind.

The Possibility of Building Brotherhood between Christians and Muslims

“…Later, as a quid pro quo, the Sultan granted the Christians control of Bethlehem and part of Jerusalem and a corridor to them from the sea. 5 In medieval Andalusia, in southern Spain, the most harmonious period of coexistence between Muslims, Christians, and Jews under Muslim rule was about 250 years (from 756 to the turn of the millennium). They lived a common life (convenience) with considerable mutual respect.…”