The Last Crusade

by Ira Tabankin

  The bodyguards have no idea where the horse came from, they’re mystified watching the interaction between the horse and their leader. They are overwhelmed with a force that drives them to their knees in front of the Great Mahdi. Ali Mohmand climbs on the horse who takes him on a tour of the camp. Word flows through the camp that the Holy Mahdi has returned, the story of the white horse flies from mouth to mouth, each time it’s told, the story slightly expands until the white horse has wings, it’s a personal gift from Allah to Ali Mohmand. Allah has appointed the Caliphate’s Prime Minister as the Mahdi. The soldiers in camp lay on their prayer rugs facing east, they give thanks to Allah that they are able to see the return of the Mahdi, knowing they are bringing the end of days upon the world ending in Allah’s rule over all.

  The pure white horse returns The Mahdi to the command bunker, where he dismounts in front of the bunker’s main door. The guards snap to attention; they are joined by the Caliphate’s head Iman, who was woken being told of the return of the Mahdi. The Iman approaches the Mahdi, looking at his face which has a glow to it, the Iman falls to his knees.

  “Holy one, welcome to our humble camp.”

  “Iman, rise. We have much to discuss. The time is fast approaching, Allah has said the minor times have been completed, we are now entering the time of the major signs. The alamatu's-sa'ah al- kubra (The major signs of the end) have started.

  Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog), the two tribes, are coming together to do battle. The Earth will be ravaged by the coming war. Allah will eventually send disease and worms to wipe out the infidels.

  Our Holy book told us a huge black smoke cloud will cover the earth; this has happened, the black cloud from the nuclear explosions has covered most of the earth. It is per the Holy Quran.

  Also, the sun will rise from the west; the nuclear suns have risen in the west brighter than the sun, fulfilling the prophecy.

  Per the Holy Quran, three sinking of the earth, one in the east, one in the west, and one in Arabia. This has happened, huge holes have been dug into the earth from the nuclear weapons. Allah has decided the time has come to kill all of the infidels. Will you follow Allah and me?”

  “Yes, Holy One, all of the faithful will be proud to follow you to Allah’s victory.”

  “Come, we have much to discuss.”

  Guards snap to attention and step aside as the Mahdi and Iman walk into the depths of the bunker to discuss the coming war.

  Chapter 2

  Thankfully for the world’s population, most of the nuclear weapons exploded as air bursts over military bases, limiting deadly fallout. The newest generation of weapons are much cleaner than the early generations, they are much more efficient in converting nuclear material into explosions. A third of the American and Russian military got caught on their bases when the missiles arrived.

  @@@@@

  The Pope’s message quickly spreads around the world, Priests announce they will be compiling lists of young people who want to join the Pope’s army. Churches are quickly swamped by millions of young men and women wanting to join the Pope’s Holy army. They want revenge for the nuclear attacks. Lines of the young stretch around the churches. The media mocks the Pope’s call for an army and Crusade, they claim the Pope is sticking his nose into things that aren't his business. They say he should concentrate on building his new city and leave national and military affairs to the experts. Talk radio doesn’t know if they should support the Pope or not. Two days after the Pope’s call for a new Crusade, Mark opens his show fully supporting the Pope, he says,

  “If we don’t end this now, we’re finished. Our leaders should have never allowed the Muslim threat to get out of control. They should have been stopped before they were able to create a situation where we and Russia almost killed ourselves. They tried to destroy the world so they could bring forth their vision of the end days. They are trying to force the final battle between us so, per the Quran, they will win. Their victory will mean the end of all religions except for Islam. Our leaders supported the so-called Arab Spring, which laid the foundation to the modern Caliphate. Our leaders forgot history’s lessons, they appeased Hitler, which led to the Second World War, had the leaders at the time stopped him right away, they could have prevented the second World War and saved millions of lives. If Obama and Clayton hadn’t supported the Arab Spring, we wouldn’t have the Caliphate. There wouldn’t be hundreds of millions killed by the Caliphate. We have a chance to right the wrongs and stop the destruction of the world before it’s too late. I’m going on the record saying we should support the Pope’s call, no matter if you're Catholic or not, this isn’t a Catholic fight, it’s war for our children’s future. This is the real war on women, if the Caliphate wins, women will be hidden behind burkas forever, women will become property, they will be slaves to men forever. If the Caliphate wins the final battle, it will mean the end of religious freedom and freedom of speech. Our freedoms will die. Millions of us will be beheaded. I say to all of you, fight! Fight for our futures. Fight for our children’s futures. Fight to end the evil the Caliphate is spreading around the world.”

  Within twenty-four hours of Mark’s program, other talk show hosts pick up his line of thought. The support for the Last Crusade grows. Social Media sites are overloaded with people offering help and supplies to the new Crusaders. Initially, Facebook tries to block the pro-Crusade sites and posts, due to overwhelming demand, they stop blocking the posts. Militias tell their members to prepare to fight. Everyone is waiting to hear what the military is going to do.

  Survivalists worry the Pope’s Crusade is going to create worldwide chaos. In the middle of night, people who have bug-out locations begin to disappear. The average American supports the new Crusade, they are worried the Crusade will cause additional suicide bombers and terror attacks. People rush to stock up on food, stores are quickly stripped bare. State offices are swamped with the demand for CCW permits. Gun stores are surprised seeing people waiting in lines for them to open. Walmart and other stores selling outdoor supplies and camping equipment are quickly emptied. Freeze dried food disappears from stores and becomes back ordered for years. Common people begin openly carrying weapons wherever they go. Lowes and Home Depot report sales increases of 50 and 100% as people rush to buy sheets of plywood, bricks, concrete blocks and bags of cement. Tools, hand pump, and solar cells quickly disappear from stores. Prepping, once considered a ‘dirty’ word quickly spreads across the country.

  Many of the Churches’ historians worry the Pope will send the untrained young into battle like previous Popes did. They send messages to the new Holy See begging the Holy Father not to repeat the mistakes of the past. They remind the Church advisers of the previous Crusade disasters like the Children’s Crusade. They’re very pleased when the Pope says he plans to turn the lists of young volunteers over to the military experts who will be able to train the volunteers in God’s Army. The Pope tells the members of the church,

  “We aren’t going to make the same mistakes our forefathers did. I refuse to send untrained children into the meat grinder of battle. I won’t be responsible for senseless deaths. Those signing up to become a member of God’s holy warriors will quickly learn their training is going to be very hard, the harder they’re trained, the better chance they’ll have of surviving when the bullets fly. This isn’t going to be a quick war. It’s going to be a hard, long and bloody war. We’re going to have to fight our way across the Caliphate. Every step will be dangerous. We’re going to form the best Army the world has ever seen. The best trained, the best equipped, the most highly motivated and protected by the Lord’s angels. The commanders of the Russian, American and Israeli militaries will train our soldiers.

  To support my statements, I’m happy to be able to announce the commanders of the American, Russian and Israeli militaries are on their way here to discuss how we are going to merge the forces and new people into God’s Army. The two old enemies are burying the hatchet to form the core of God’s Army.
The troops are going to be joined by the core of the IDF. If you think you’re up to the challenge, join us in our holy Crusade.”

  The Pope’s remarks increase the number of volunteers. Young and old stand in line at churches to sign up for the Crusade. The recruits are issued white shirts with the Templars Cross on the front. Jewish members get a white shirt with both the Star of David and the Templars Cross. Bystanders applaud the recruits in their new shirts. Churches rely on the recruits to help the recovery operations in the areas close to the nuclear explosions. Recruits wear radiation cards to ensure they don’t stay too long in the ‘hot zones.’ They help recover bodies which are burned to generate electrical power. Some of the young are given protective suits, they help recover usable weapons from the military bases. Surviving weapons are removed from underground bunkers, they are driven through decontamination sprayers to clean the weapons, making them ready for use against the Caliphate. Messages are written on the weapons directed at the Caliphate. Remaining warplanes are using Air Force alternative operating bases where eighty-five percent of the long-range bomber fleet are based.

  The Pope warmly welcomes the Commanding Generals from America, Israel, and Russia to Switzerland. The welcoming ceremony is televised around the world, Ali Muhammad Tanvir, now known as The Mahdi, listens to his staff beg him to attack the meeting before they can work out an agreement. His advisors begin fighting among themselves when the Mahdi raises his arms to silence the room.

  “Have no fear, Allah is with us. Let them form their Crusade, Allah is placing all of the infidels in one place at the same time, Allah will help us kill them all, leaving their population naked and defenseless. Their crusade will forge our people into a stronger force committed to repelling the invaders. The people will be forged into holy Mujahedeen, who will gladly sacrifice their lives for Allah. Let the infidels form a common army. We should encourage them; we should taunt them into attacking us. We’ll turn our land into the world’s largest minefield, there won’t be a safe place for them to put a boot down on our soil. They won’t be able to operate in our desert, only we are used to operating in the harsh conditions of our land. Don’t be afraid of the infidel army, we have Allah on our side. Allah has promised to protect us. It has been preordained that we will win. This war will see the end of the infidels. Go and prepare our people. We’ll turn every person into a warrior, every house will be a fort, every meter of land will be mined, this will be the last Crusade.”

  The men bow to the Mahdi, they nod their agreement, they quickly leave to fulfill his instructions. While in Switzerland, the Pope and the three Generals reach an agreement to form the Army of God’s warriors. While they are wrapping up their meeting, they receive hundreds of requests from other countries to join the Crusade. The Pope stands in front of over one hundred international media cameras announcing the formation of the Army of God’s Warriors. The United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Spain, Austria, Australia, and a combined Latin American Army pledge their militaries to the Army of God’s warriors. The Pope selects American General Frank Green as the five-star General to be the commander of the forces reporting to the Pope. This will be the first time in one thousand years a multi-country military force reports to the Pope for the purpose of performing a Crusade.

  The Pope addresses the media,

  “I believe some history on the Crusades is required, many of the media believe the Crusades were a Christian attack on Muslims, the truth is, the initial Crusades were a reaction to Muslims conquering and enslaving Christian lands. We responded to their aggression, we didn’t attack first.

  The warriors of Islam struck against the Christians shortly after Mohammed’s death. They were extremely successful. Palestine, Syria, and Egypt, once the most heavily Christian areas in the world, all quickly fell to the Islamic warriors. By the eighth century, Islam had conquered all of Christian North Africa and Spain. In the eleventh century, the Turks conquered Asia Minor, which had been Christian since the time of St. Paul. The old Roman Empire was reduced to little more than Greece. In desperation, the emperor in Constantinople sent word to the Christians of Western Europe asking them to aid their brothers and sisters in the East.

  This is what gave birth to the Crusades. They were not the brainchild of an ambitious Pope or pious knights. They were a response to more than four centuries of Islamic conquests in which Muslims had already captured two-thirds of the Middle Eastern Christian world. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be overwhelmed and conquered by Islam. Had we not fought back, Christianly might not have survived.

  Medieval Christians saw the Muslims as the enemies of Christ. It was the Crusaders’ task to defeat the Muslims and stop the Islamic expansion. Muslims, who lived in Crusader-won territories, were allowed to retain their property and livelihood, and always their religion. Unlike those in Muslim-conquered lands who weren’t allowed to keep their livelihood or practice their religion.

  In the second of five Crusades, Saladin the Great forged the Muslim nations into a single army, all the while preaching jihad against the Christians. In 1187 at the Battle of Hattin, Saladin’s forces wiped out the combined armies of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Crusades continued for another 300 years.

  Islam never forgot the Christian Crusades, even though Muslims living in the Christian-Jewish lands were treated much better than the Christian and Jews who found themselves living under Muslim rule. Look at the current situation we find ourselves in, the Caliphate has almost cleansed their property of all infidels. They destroyed churches and temples which stood for over a thousand years. They enslaved infidels, they burned children alive, they’ve beheaded thousands, they brought back the horrible torture our Lord suffered, crucifixion. They arranged for the death of millions of people through their use of WMD. It’s time the God loving people of the world come together and finally end Satan’s scourge on the planet.”

  Many in the media protest the formation of the Army of God’s warriors saying it’s the formulation of a one-world government under the control of the Roman Catholic Church. Protestants, Baptists, Mormons, and Jews protest the new world’s Army reporting to the Pope. The media says the Pope should support the creation of a new United Nations, the previous one was destroyed by the nuclear explosion in New York City. The media is supportive of the start of a single world government, they believe it and the combined military should report to the UN and not a religious leader. The media says churches shouldn’t have militaries.

  The Pope responds to the media’s demands by reminding the media of the zoo that the previous United Nations was, he reminded them that nothing got resolved in the UN. He stares into the cameras,

  “I’ve heard the demand for a new UN, and the demand the Army of God’s Warriors report to the new UN. I refuse this demand because the UN has proven to be unsuccessful in doing anything except for wasting money. The UN will quickly become bogged down in politics. Normal politics will end up in the world speaking Arabic and praying to Allah, the Satan, or being killed. We don’t have time for political bullshit. The UN will waste time debating, time is a resource we don’t have. Hence, I have to turn down the request to place the Army of God’s Warriors under the control of the UN. I asked the militaries of the world to form the combined army to crush the threat hanging over all of our heads.

  The liberal media publishes editorials and runs programs warning this is a ploy by the church to take over the world. They urge people to live and let live. They urge people to let the Muslims live their lives as we live ours.

  Members of the media say, “We can win if we show the Muslims love. It’s time for us to rebuild and stop trying to force our will on others. If we leave the Muslims alone, they will leave us alone. We can’t support the Pope’s interference in what should be national decisions. The Pope should leave well enough alone and stop trying to conquer new lands. The time for Crusades and Knights on horseback is long gone. We urge people to turn their backs on the church’s p
ower grab.

  It wasn’t the Caliphate that struck the world with nuclear weapons, it was the church which set up the attack to enable it to come out in charge of the world. We demand a new UN be formed and it’s first task be an investigation of the brief and deadly war. We demand the church be barred from forming the International Army of God’s warriors and if they do form it, the name should be changed so it doesn’t offend people. We demand the formation of a new UN. A UN that has the final say on any use of force. The UN should block any attack on the Caliphate, which could surely offend the Muslims.”

  The editor of the LA Times writes the army, whatever it’s called, should be barred from wearing a cross on their uniforms which is considered offensive to others. The media demands no attack take place until a new election takes place. They claim the General has no authority to govern or commit American forces to war without a civilian leader. The Boston Globe writes an editorial saying the Constitution said there was a separation of Church and State, as such, it’s illegal for American soldiers to wear a cross and report to the Pope.

  Progressives swarm into the streets holding handmade signs above their heads saying,

  “Close the Church.”

  “NO WAR,”

  “Give Peace a Chance.”

  “Muslims are people too.”

  “No state religion.”

  “No war for oil.”