Oleh: Yosua Saut Marulitua Gultom, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta

Pemenang Juara 2 Lomba Menulis Artikel Islam & Konflik Bersenjata INSANIA

Introduction

The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099, during the First Crusade. The success of this siege was the culmination of the First Crusade, causing the Crusaders to capture the city of Jerusalem from the Fatimid Caliphate and lay the foundation for the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The capture marked a dark chapter in history, characterized by widespread violence and religious intolerance. Following the siege, thousands of Muslim and Jewish inhabitants fell victim to brutal massacres perpetrated by the Crusaders. In a symbolic and deeply provocative act, the conquerors seized control of the city’s most sacred Islamic sites, including the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, repurposing them as Christian shrines. This deliberate affront to Islam not only underscored the Crusaders’ disdain for the city’s diverse religious heritage but also fueled centuries of animosity and conflict between Christians and Muslims at that time (Hinz & Meyer-Hamme, 2020).

While the capture in 1099 by the crusader’s army was marked with violence toward non-combatant civilians and would likely trigger vengeance to bring more cruelty if the land were retaken such as the rape of Berlin during world war 2, the recapture of Jerusalem in 1187 by Saladin (Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi) had significant distinctions. It was marked with respect to human rights and peaceful tolerance toward Christian civilians. Against this historical backdrop, revisiting the Siege of Jerusalem (1187) offers an opportunity to examine the principles of the protection of war victims in Islamic law at the time as well as to reflect on its relevance in contemporary humanitarian law.

Recapture of the Jerusalem 1187

Despite not a strategically important, Jerusalem held the value as a holy city by the three religions; Islam, Christianity, and Jewish. Thus, after Jerusalem was captured by Crusaders army in 1099, it was a long dream for Muslim leaders to recapture it again (Mourad, 2021). This long-held aspiration was finally realized in 1187 under the leadership of Saladin (Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi) after he won the battle of Hattin which devastated the Crusaders’ side as well as weakened Jerusalem which made it easier to capture, marking a momentous victory that reverberated throughout the Islamic world. The recapture of Jerusalem not only restored Muslim sovereignty over the city but also symbolized a triumph of faith and perseverance, raising the morale of the whole Muslim world at the time.

Saladin’s approach was characterized by respect for human rights and a commitment to peaceful coexistence. Instead of seeking revenge or retribution, he demonstrated magnanimity and tolerance toward the Christians in Jerusalem. Christian civilians were in great fear, expecting Muslim soldiers to turn their women and children into slavery, or worse because of the history of a century before. However, historical accounts attest to Saladin’s willingness to negotiate and keep his word to ensure the safety and well-being of Christian civilians, allowing them to leave the city unharmed or remain under his protection.

Islamic Law and the Protection of War Victims in 1187

Such a decision might also be taken from Saladin’s Islamic values as the great figure of Muslims during that era. In Islam, according to the Quran 2:190 which prevents Muslims from exceeding the limits during the war as well as Hadith which forbids the Muslim to not kill women or children or servants. (HR. Bukhari No. 3015 and Muslim No. 1744) has shown strong prevention to not harm civilians.

The Islamic law greatly affected how the negotiations could be agreed. The complete negotiations conducted by Saladin with Balian, the temporary leader of Jerusalem are as follows:

1. Each man among them had to redeem himself with 10 denarii, and each woman was asked to redeem herself with 5 denarii, children were redeemed with 2 denarii, for all the poor were released with a ransom of 30,000 denarii.
2. They were allowed to leave Jerusalem within 40 days.
3. Whoever was unable to redeem themselves would be enslaved

To note, while slavery is certainly against modern humanitarian law, during that era, slavery was pretty normal as the slaves served various socio-economic roles, from physical labor to administration (Zdziebłowski, 2019). Thus, the results of the negotiations were rather incredibly benevolent to not directly enslave them or doing more harm, concerning the century-long grudge since the massacre in 1099 by the Crusaders.

Conclusion

In revisiting the Siege of Jerusalem (1187) through the lens of Islamic law protection of war victims, Saladin’s conduct exemplifies Islamic values of humanitarian protection for civilians. His respectful treatment of civilians, demonstrated in negotiations and actions, reflects Islamic principles, which provide insight into the relevance and ethical considerations of modern IHL, particularly in addressing revenge which is common in the practice of nation-state warfare.

References

Hinz, F., & Meyer-Hamme, J. (Eds.). (2020). Controversial Histories–Current Views on the Crusades: Engaging the Crusades, Volume Three. Routledge.

Mourad, S. A. (2021). Ibn’Asakir of Damascus: Champion of Sunni Islam in the Time of the Crusades. Simon and Schuster.

Zdziebłowski, S. (2019, February 5). Researcher: Slavery was common in medieval Europe. https://scienceinpoland.pl/en/news/news%2C32715%2Cresearcher-slavery-was-common-medieval-europe.html

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