Shadow of the Swords (Washington Square Press, 2010, $16.00), by Kamran Pasha

Reviewed by Sasha Mostofi

The bloodiest wars in history have been fought in the name of God. While religious followers have fought for a religion of love and forgiveness, they have burned and massacred their enemies to save them from the eternal fires of hell.

Even to this day, we are witness to conflicts where religion is used as an excuse to violate human rights and inflict hardship. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a dispute over land owned by Palestinians and claimed by Jews as their biblical birthright with no peace settlement in sight, despite repeated attempts by world leaders to mediate. Tens of thousands of people have died in this intractable conflict. The horrific events of September 11, 2001 are yet another example, which were a catalyst for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, costing us billions of dollars and leaving us with a legacy of torture and human rights abuse.

Shadow of the Swords: your purchase in part benefits Levantine Cultural CenterEight in total and lasting from 1095 to 1291, the Crusades were a series of religiously sanctioned military campaigns launched by European Christians to restore Christian control of the Holy City, the same place the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is today.

Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria and Richard the Lionheart, the King of England, are two names that dominate the history of the Crusades. Though not without their flaws, each was praised as a military leader of his time, noble and fierce, with a zealot's passion for Jerusalem. Saladin is the most romantic figure of the two, known throughout Europe for his cultured chivalry. In fact when the crusaders attacked Jerusalem in 1099 they massacred all its inhabitants, boasting that the city was knee-high in blood. But when Saladin took the city back, he spared his victims and gave them safe passage. His relationship with Richard the Lionheart, as Shadow of the Swords depicts, was one of mutual respect and when Richard was wounded, Saladin even offered the services of his personal physician.

But Shadow of the Swords takes this story a step further. Through fictitious characters it shows Saladin and Richard the Lionheart in battle of religion and the heart. Their love for Miriam, a striking and stubborn Jewish woman, is beautifully drawn-though Miriam seems too independent for her era and it is questionable as to whether an anti-Jewish King such as Richard the Lionheart could ever fall in love with a Jewess (At his coronation in 1189, Richard banned all Jews from the ceremony and allowed the people of London to massacre and burn alive the Jewish residents).

However, one cannot help feel a parallel between the Crusades and the modern day conflict in the region when reading the novel. Miriam symbolizes the Jewish survivor mentality throughout history and her relationship with the Muslims, especially Saladin, conveys how close the Jewish and Muslim communities once were and still are to a certain extent. There is definitely a lesson to be learned from the pointlessness of religious wars that lead to the destruction and death of thousands. Kamran Pasha depicts the battle scenes with vividness and strength, portraying the brutality and cruelty of the warriors on both sides.

A romantic historical novel, Shadow of the Swords conveys emotional and spiritual lessons by reminding us that a peaceful and loving God would not be in favor of wars fought in His name.

 
Sasha Mostofi is the author of Cemetery of Dreams, a political thriller about Iran during the 1979-1980 Revolution and hostage crisis.