In 1565, just over a decade from the conquest of Constantinople by the Moslem Turks, the Christian island of Malta was attacked by the Sea Jihad. arriving off the coast on 18 May with some 200 ships and perhaps 40,000 fighters. The island was held by around 6,000 men, led by the Knights of Malta and their Grand Master Jean de Vallette.
Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Moslems had an enormous superiority in artillery, the Knights held out, not least at Fort St. Elmo. This brought time for a Christian relief force to arrive on the island on September 7. This multi-national Catholic army combined with the Knights proceeded to route the Islamic invaders, who reembarked and fled the scene.
It's estimated that over 30,000 Moslem invaders were killed during the siege and perhaps a third of the island's defenders. The remarkably heroic defense of Malta put to rest the myth of Ottoman invincibility and laid the foundation for the victorious sea battle of Lepanto, 6 years later.
Thanks to the extraordinary courage of Malta's Christian defenders and later Lepanto, the Jihad was stopped in the Mediterranean. But that was then. The Jihad's still very much alive today, though lacking military dominance, and instead of invading the West through force has been invited in by Quislings in search of cash and votes. Will our people, like the Maltese and their knights, stand up and be counted?
The vote's out,
LSP
