Saladin, Sultan despite being Islamic, Jewish His trusted friend Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) More than anybody else, especialy More than any imam.
I have been traveling to every corner of Egypt For more than a month. Wherever I come people, besides my hosts, can Realize That I speak Arabic and different; they can feel I am not an Arab and definitely not an Egyptian. They ask me Where I am from and I answer I am from Kurdistan. And Then eyes of many people sparkle; they can not keep emotions and They EXCLAIM "Aaaah! That's Saladin's country!" "Well, I come from Sultan Saladin's land." And Then They hug me passionately with a hug I have not Experienced anywhere else, well, anywhere outside Kurdistan. For Egyptians Sultan Saladin Means Much More Than Any Other That ruler in a country so rich with rulers in the its long history.
Saladin, a Kurdish boy born in today's Iraqi Kurdistan wrote his name with bold letters and unfading not only into Middle Eastern history but into European Also, he Became a symbol of tolerance, courage, human dignity and nobleness.
He ruled Also in Egypt, an Originally Shia Islam country, Which he converted to Sunni in a very short time and moreover without violence. Egyptians Then Became Shafia Sunnites being, together with the Kurds, the only Moslims, Shafi'i Who are Sunnites. There are Several legal codes in Islam, for instance many Turks follow the Hanafi legal code, the Saudis are known as Wahhabites etc.
Saladin conquered Jerusalem after being ruled by Christians for 88 years not harming Christian Civilians living in the city. Europe reacted sending The Third Crusade army led by Richard the Lionheart, the King of England. But Even King Richard could not march Saladin, he could not understand the whole dimension of his nobleness and dignity. When King Richard lost his horse in a battle, Saladin sent HIM His best horse, When His Opponent fell sick, Saladin sent HIM medicines, fruit and Even His doctors. He defeated King Richard With His Human Qualities.
Before the Decisive Battle against Christians, Saladin stayed awake until dawn. Then he Called His best friend, the Jewish philosopher and physician Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) and HIM WHO Asked after all Were right in faith? He Asked the question being the supreme ruler, the Sultan Who would lead the his army to the battle That Would Bring Them victory or death on the next day. He was unsure Whether he was right, HIM the Sultan of all Moslems. Some centuries later the same question was Asked by the German philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in 1779 in the his book "Nathan der Weise" and ended the period Absolutism ruling in Europe For more than a thousand years. Lessing probably did not dare to ask the question so he Himself years Nathan (Moshe ben Maimon) speak instead of HIM with Saladin about WHO Were right about faith doubting the FACT of absolute truth, the truth imposed and required by the Vatican.
Sultan, trusted His Jewish friend Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) More than anybody else, especiall More than any imam
Saladin and valued human being and human values, too, over any faith, any supreme power.
After His death, in order to finance a grand funeral Saladin's safe was opened. They found it being empty. He gave all the his property to Those in Need.
That was Saladin, a Kurd noble.
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