Arab and Templar alliances, early 13th century.

Following Salladin's great victory at Hattin (July 4, 1187) and his conquest of Jerusalem (October 2, 1187), Arab relations with the Military Orders began to change. How did the relationship between victors and vanquished develop?
 

Christian view on the rise of Islam at the end of the 1st Millennium

"When Muslim armies came out of Arabia in the 630s and 640s, Christian writers in the Middle East looked to the Bible for understanding about what this invasion meant." (...) They soon saw this new religion as a sign of the coming Apocalypse.

The values ​​of modern chivalry

"I have asked myself about the values ​​of modern chivalry and at first I have contemplated on what might be the actual transposition of a medieval knight to modern times.

German OSMTH Chapter supports an "Open Letter to the Governments of Europe" on refugees

In November 11, 2015 the Autonome Komturei OSMTH Regensburg "Leonhard von Noblat" (Germany) supported the following letter published on www.europeact.eu and on their website.

"We, the front-line volunteers who for months now have been helping thousands of refugees, call on all the governments of Europe to act immediately and decisively to alleviate the situation. There are tens of thousands of people moving through south-eastern Europe and the current capacities of volunteer-based help sites are seriously challenged. Given also the rapid approach of winter and problems at various borders, we feel there is a real danger that the situation will lead to serious medical problems and likely deaths among the refugee community.

Every person has the legal right to seek asylum. If Europe is not able to provide safe and legal routes for asylum-seekers, it is obliged to provide aid to those who took the dangerous route. We do not want to see a single refugee dying while waiting in endless queues at European borders, literally in our own hands.

Volunteers have been providing a wide range of activities so far, in many places completely replacing the absent government facilities and aid. We are distributing food and water, undertaking crowd management, providing critical information about registration and borders, referring vulnerable people to UNHCR or medical services, caring for children, managing stocks of clothing and blankets, cleaning waste, raising funds and providing shelter to the most vulnerable few.

We have been doing all this for months in Lesvos, Athens, Gevgelija, Budapest, Röszke, Belgrade, Eidomeni, Hegyeshalom, Nickelsdorf, Wien, Salzburg, Heiligenkreuz, Zakány, Botovo, Calais, Preševo, Berkasovo, Bregana, Harmica, Trnovec, Mursko Središće, Bapska, Opatovac and a number of other places around Europe. We have proven that volunteers can do a lot, but we will be unable to keep thousands of people warm once the winter weather closes in.

Winter is coming quickly and we all have just a few days to respond in a humane way.
  • We call on all European countries to provide immediate help to all those countries affected by the refugee crisis, instead of helping those countries that are building fences.
  • We call for the building of safe reception and transit centres with facilities that can cope with the harsh winter conditions of the region.
  • We also call for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the people that need it, for the provision of appropriate medical services and for the coordination of all efforts on a pan-European level.
  • We also call on the EU to immediately implement other mechanisms which aim to provide safe passage to the EU.
This is advance notice to all of you, the leaders of Europe, that people will be freezing to death soon on our borders if you do not act now.

​ We have done our best up to this point and we will continue to help for as long as is necessary. But now it is your turn, governments of Europe. Please respond and demonstrate to the world that humanity is still at the core of European values."

Illustration Arms of the Autonome Komturei OSMTH Regensburg "Leonhard von Noblat"

"Noble Knight" - the Scandinavian OSMTH Knights Templar on the refugee situation

TemplarsNow investigates the view of modern Knights Templar organisations on the present day refugee situation in Europe. 

Today a (shortened) Swedish-English translation of the position of the Scandinavian OSMTH Grand Priorate, published in the 2015-2 issue of their magazine "Tempelherren", downloadable from their website.





"An actual question: How good do we manage and cope with unexpected changes?

In recent months, we have in a most concrete way been reminded that we live in an incredibly fast changing world. A current example is the challenge we now face in the form of the huge stream of refugees that seems to have surprised all of Western Europe. It puts our decision makers faced with a difficult humanitarian dilemma.

The number of refugees that already came, and the number still underway, compares well to the crowds that were in motion un the Great Migration time. Only during the month of October it was estimated that some 220,000 people were on their way to Europe. (....) The majority comes from areas affected by war in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. Another part consists of young people that we do not directly classify as refugees or asylum seekers. They are coming from poorer conditions, seeking a better life. This has always been the case, but the numbers are higher now.

The functions and mechanisms which we have over the years set up in our societies for normal conditions are tested to the limit. More resources, action and new costly measures are needed to keep the grip. Expensive measures that many "Old citizens and taxpayers" are dissatisfied of, and which provide a breeding ground for a protectonistic mindset. Various rumors and populist half truths may, unfortunately, all too easily spread in the social media. Fear of the unknown,selfishness and ignorance create intolerance and excesses in the form of violence and hate speech.A frightening development in our communities that must be resisted.

A development that we, Knights of a 900-year old Order on the charitable and attitude level, should inlfuence into a more humane direction. It is in times like this that our Knightly Ethics are on trial. Our communities change and regardless of the opinions we may personally have on the issue, we shall in our Christian ethos stand tall in following our guide. We shall endeavor to objectively, in speech and action, assist the weak and vulnerable. What we experience in the ritual of our Order's chapter, we put in everyday life. Thereby, hopefully, creating respect for ourselves and our words. Every single act of kindness is the Noble Knight worthy! (....)."

Illustration from the 2015-2 issue of the magazine "Tempelherren" of the Tempelherreorden Storpriorat Skandinavien, downloadable from their website.