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Britain
The king who wanted Sharia England
2008-02-19
Was England ever on the verge of becoming an Islamic state? In 1215 King John was forced to accept the Magna Carta, that touchstone of English liberties. But according to one medieval chronicler, only two years previously he was toying with passing the country over to Sharia.

The claims appear in the Chronica Majora written some years after the event by a Benedictine monk by the name of Matthew Paris.

In 1207 Pope Innocent III placed England under an interdict that effectively closed down the country's churches. He excommunicated John two years later. Facing war with France and rebellion at home, the monarch was in a tight spot.

If Matthew Paris is to be believed, this was the background to perhaps the most bizarre diplomatic initiative in English history. John dispatched Thomas of Erdington, Radulus, son of Nicholas Esquire, and a cleric, Robert of London, on a top secret mission to Morocco...
Posted by:Anonymoose

#13  Highly unlikely.
Posted by: DMFD   2008-02-19 18:36  

#12  Bat puckey.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2008-02-19 18:17  

#11  Horse-shit.
Posted by: mojo   2008-02-19 13:01  

#10  This is agitprop.

This is in line with the EU-proposed rewriting of schoolbooks to imply Europe has a "cultural debt" toward the arabo-muslim world, and owes everything to it, or the "Europe's roots as are muslim as they are Christian" of yacoub ibn shirak.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2008-02-19 12:00  

#9  A more likely explanation is Mathew Paris was doing so psy-ops on behalf of the Vatican. A threat so to speak that even if John and his followers didn't fear the afterlife the Vatican could work to have them torn apart by mobs.

By using Islam they also prevented the rioters from turning on the jews (which they did all too often back then) and thus preserved the peace while making their threat.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2008-02-19 11:31  

#8  This is agitprop.
Posted by: lotp   2008-02-19 11:31  

#7  Richard had rallied the entire nation to the Crusader cause. Say what you like about his not being around in his own country but evidence shows Richard was popular and thus the Crusades were also popular.

There is no way John could look at that and think shifting over to the enemy would end up with any result other than his death in an unpleasant manner. This is total nonsense.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2008-02-19 11:27  

#6  "...the caliph sent John's emissaries away, curtly assuring them that he had no intention of allying with someone so lacking in faith that he was intent on becoming an apostate for the sake of political expediency."
I take it then that if Obama wins, his ambassador to Saudi Arabia will be sent home.
Posted by: Darrell   2008-02-19 09:42  

#5  It may happen yet...
Posted by: tu3031   2008-02-19 09:33  

#4  If things go badly whatever passes for history in a Muslim "England" will claim John converted and justify any atrocity on that basis.

First the traitors. Then the enemy.
Posted by: Excalibur   2008-02-19 08:57  

#3  ...and John "Lackland" is traditionally regarded in a negative light, the usurper of Richard Lionheart and employer of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Funny.
Posted by: imoyaro   2008-02-19 08:09  

#2  the English are sold into slavery by their "upper class". I thought it started with the fabians , but it seems to be much deeper.
Posted by: Cleck tse Tung8925   2008-02-19 07:37  

#1  Super. More cultural ammo for the mullahs.
Posted by: Seafarious   2008-02-19 00:33  

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