September 11th marks several major defeats to the Islamic Caliphate; crippling defeats, won decisively by Christians.

By Taylor Foland

Many Americans and people around the world know that 9/11 was the day that the United States, and the West was attacked. However, many Americans are unaware of the history behind this date, history that may have motivated the attackers to select September 11th to wreak havoc on Americans and The West.

To all the readers, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in late seventeenth-century Vienna, Austria. Imagine you are part of the city guard, looking out from the citadel walls. Imagine witnessing an army of 200,000 Muslims marching towards your home.

Take yourself back in history, to September 11, 1683. A date that inspired Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda to attack America, on the same day in 2001, 318 years later. By 1683 AD, the Ottoman Empire had expanded to Greece, and the Balkan States of Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, and Macedonia.

By 1683, the Ottoman Empire (Muslims) had expanded their Caliphate on the Northern African coast, stretching all the way from Egypt to Algeria. By the turn of the seventeenth-century, Islamic conquest threatened the heart of Christianity: Rome, and the Vatican. The Italian peninsula was surrounded by armies of Muslims. Spain had already been liberated from Muslim occupation 191 years earlier by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, which cleared the way for Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. The world would look very different today, if Islam was not expelled from Spain.

In the spring of 1683, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed IV commissioned a massive military force, two hundred thousand Muslims were sent to invade the lands of the infidel, to raise the green flag of Muhammad in the West, and to convert every Christian church and cathedral into a mosque. Sultan Mehmed IV appointed Kara Mustafa Pasha to be the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, which also made him the top general to lead the campaign to invade and capture the Golden Apple of Europe: Vienna. The idea behind this invasion was that, if the Ottoman Muslims could solidify the power of their Caliphate, and attack and capture Vienna, then they could launch more campaigns into Central Europe and expand even more.

The campaign started in mid-July, and concluded on September 12, 1683. The Turks (Ottoman Muslims) led their armies against the Hapsburg ruler, Emperor Leopold I. Pope Innocent XI attempted to persuade the King of France, Louis XIV to send an army to defend Vienna, but his plea fell on deaf ears, largely due to concerns of money. Pope Innocent XI then appealed to the Christian King of Poland, and Duke of Lithuania Jan III Sobieski, who was initially reluctant. He then agreed to join the defense of Vienna when the Vatican persuaded Charles of Lorraine, with support from the Elector of Saxony: John George III von Wettin, the Elector of Bavaria: Max Emmanuel, and thirty German princes.

The main European Christian force numbered approximately 60,000. Many prominent nobles answered the call to defend Vienna, including the future King of England: Prince George of Hanover. Prince George brought with him 600 cavalry officers. Even Prince Eugene of Savoy defected from King Louis XIV to fight with the Austro-German cavalry to defend Vienna.

The council of war was then convened in Linz. After much quarreling over who would lead the Christian army, the Duke Charles of Lorraine was a natural choice, with charm, humility, and military prowess. Under the Duke’s recommendation, the full command was given to Sobieski. Sobieski held the highest rank, and had demonstrated clear military leadership and decisive combat experience against the Ottoman Muslims at the Battle of Khocizm in 1673.

Now, back to the invasion. The Muslim encampment was directly facing the walls of the city, imagine a massive army of two hundred thousand men, waiting outside your city, and wanting to conquer your homeland in the name of Allah, and his Messenger, the “Prophet Muhammad.” The Muslims then began to tunnel under the city fortifications and blew up the main powder storage, which then blew up the fortifications above. From here, Kara Mustafa ordered the men to sack the city of Vienna.

The city had already been under siege for two months prior to the explosion. The Christian military forces planned to engage to left and right flanks of the Turkish position, while Sobieski was rallying a charge down from Kahlenberg Mountain. You see, Kara Mustafa had not fortified his army from an attack from Kahlenberg. “Berg” means mountain in German.

Several commanders, including the Duke of Lorraine along with Prince George Friedrich von Waldeck, Prince Jerome Lubomirski, Duke Eugene of Croy, Colonel Donat Heissler, and Count James Leslie prepared for battle. The Muslims struck first, by attacking a deployment of some artillery units by Count Leslie. There was then a counter-attack by the Austrians, led by Lorraine. Sobieski then leads the largest cavalry charge in history, approximately 27,000 Polish cavalry charges down from the hills with Christian flags flowing like an ocean over their heads, massacring the Muslim camp. Kara Mustafa retreats from Vienna, and is later beheaded in Belgrade, Serbia on direct orders from Sultan Mehmed IV.

September 11, 1565 also marks the end of the Great Siege of Malta. The Knights Hospitaller successfully defended the island against Ottoman Muslims under the command of Jean Parisot de Valette.

Also on September 11, 1609 in Valencia, Spain; the Moriscos (Muslims) are expelled from Spain, after the government of Spain mandated that Muslims must convert to Christianity, or leave Spain. Moriscos were Muslims who were unwilling to conform to Christianity. September 11, 1609 marks the final purging of Islam from Spain.

Also on September 11, 1697, the Battle of Zenta occurred. The General, Prince Eugene of Savoy slaughtered the Ottoman Muslims in a surprise attack, as the Ottoman force attempted to cross the Tisza River. The Ottomans were caught completely off-guard and unaware. The Muslim force was annihilated by the Christians. Sultan Mustafa II was forced to sign a very humiliating treaty with the Emperor following the embarrassing defeat.

September 11, 2001 was also the day we were attacked by Osama bin Laden. September 11, also marks a specific date in the Islamic calendar. It marks several major defeats to the Islamic Caliphate; crippling defeats, won decisively by Christians.

The Battle of Vienna in 1683 was one of the worst defeats, if not the worst defeat in Islamic history.

America will never forget that fateful day, and we continue to pray for those we lost on that fateful day, and continue to pray for those lost in the War on Terror.

When arguing with an apologist for Islam, who attempts to discredit you, use this history as irrefutable proof of September 11th’s importance to Islamists.

Taylor Foland is a Volunteer Coordinator for ACT For America, the nation’s largest grassroots national security group. ACT has over 750,000 members and 1,000 allied volunteers groups across America.