Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

Jerusalem’s central location and sacred association guaranteed it a front-row seat to history’s greatest drama. One of these key events was the Crusades in the Middle Ages.   The Crusades 1099-1187 AD The Crusades were a period of several European invasions of the holy land; they were considered a long overdue pushback after four centuries of Islamic conquests. It was a controversial period of claims and counterclaims. The main thing is that the pilgrims were motivated by piety to ‘defend the Holy Sepulchre’ and guarantee free access to all Christian holy sites in the land.   The first crusade succeeded in conquering Jerusalem in July 1099. The victorious Christians set up the ‘Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.’ They turned the Dome of the Rock and the al Aqsa Mosque into Christian houses of worship. They left an architectural legacy that remains to this day. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, destroyed in 1010 AD, was completely restored and the building you now see today dates back...

For the Western world, it is the ‘mother continent.’ For the entire world, it has become the number one tourist destination: Spain, France, and the United Kingdom are all top contenders. For my wife and I, it was a dream come true: a twenty-four-day whistle-stop tour of ten European countries: Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria (whose signpost regrettably states that they don’t have any kangaroos), Hungary, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Germany. Having recently returned from the ‘trip of a lifetime,’ here are some important takeaways.   Europe: Ever-Popular Our journey was in June when summer begins and the weather warms (if you don’t like the heat, try Europe in May. July and August are hot). Despite taking a big hit on tourist numbers during the Covid pandemic, foreign visitors are flocking back en masse, perhaps more than ever to make up for lost time. It is almost like an invasion, particularly in places like Venice. Fellow travellers included Brito...

Britain: Get Brexit Done In June 2016, the British electorate voted to leave the European Union (EU) in what became known as ‘Brexit,’ meaning ‘British exit’ from the EU. Yet, after 3 years, the UK still had not left and at times Brexit was even in doubt. Then came Boris Johnson, replacing Theresa May as Prime Minister in July 2019. Having only a majority of one, Johnson faced guerrilla warfare in the Parliament over Brexit. Not only were the opposition parties ‘Brexit-blocking’ Remainers, but even some members of his own Conservative party undermined him, too. This includes the former Speaker of the House, who is meant to be impartial. Some ‘Remainers’ were clambering for a second referendum, since they were unhappy with the results of the first one in 2016. The stalemate came to breaking point. Painted in a corner, the only way out for Mr. Johnson was a national poll, which was held on December 12, 2019. He even had to wrestle with Remainers to get that. The British pu...

European Chronicles Series For the last half millennium, Europe has been the leading continent, colonial power, and trend-setter. From a non-Christian point of view, Europe is considered a ‘Christian continent.’ From a conservative, evangelical Christian view, Europe comes across as ‘post-Christian.’ Yet what do the Europeans think of themselves? According to the respected Pew Research Centre, they project that in the years to come Europe will have fewer Christians and more Muslims and minorities. Yet, by 2050 it is estimated that 65% of Europeans will continue to identify themselves as ‘Christian,’ down from 75% of Europeans who call themselves ‘Christian’ in 2010. Sporting the label ‘Christian,’ however, does not necessarily mean they will be regular church attendees or devout in their faith. While the Middle East, North Africa, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of SE Asia came under Islam, Europe and the western world it colonised identified as ‘Christian.’ The...

While growing up in the United States during the Cold War, I had certain fanciful, even romantic ideas when it came to the continent of Europe: •     A castle on every hill; •     A cathedral on every street corner; •     Art museums in every suburb; •     Horse-drawn carriages travelling on cobbled streets to the sound of classical music; •     A semi-aristocratic lifestyle, where people elegantly sip fine coffee and eat cake, while never being in a hurry; •     A highly-intelligent population who can speak 3-5 languages each. There is some truth to this idealised picture, but it is also true that this resembles a past glory. To understand this great continent, we need to go back into history. What makes Europe, ‘Europe.’ After all, it is part of the same land mass as Asia and even Africa (via the Suez Canal and Straits of Gibraltar). In theory, you could drive f...

THE QUESTION: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union  or leave the European Union?’ Remain a member of the European Union   [    ]  Leave the European Union                            [   ] On the morning of June 24, 2016, the United Kingdom and the world woke up to the news that on the previous day the electorate, 52% to 48% with a 72% turnout, voted to leave the 28-member European Union (EU). Britain’s 43 years of membership is coming to an end. A four-month long, bitterly fought campaign between those that wanted to remain in the EU (called Bremain ) and those who wanted to leave ( Brexit - British exit ) has culminated in a shock result - Brexit prevailed, though it was the underdog (BREMAIN had the support of key British political leaders, business leaders, billion...