I have watched the movie for educational purposes. I was curious how the Muslims were potrayed and if the movie passed or failed the historical accuracy test.

And unfortunaley, it did. I have observed many stereotypic and inaccurate scenes in the movie.

The cresent moon was used as a symbol for the Muslim flags. This is incorrect since Salahuddin Ayyubi (May Allah have mercy on him) never used that symbol but used the takbir ( Allahu akbar) as his symbol. Moreover, the cresent moon was never used by the Muslims at that period but was adopted by the Ottoman Muslims after they conquered Byzantium was was a few hundreds year later after the death of Salahuddin Ayyubi.

Second inaccuracy that I noticed was the most of the Crusaders were potrayed as "walking saints" whilst it's a known fact of history that they massacred the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians residing in Jerusalem. They campaigned a [Holy War] against the infidels including the heretics of Christianity and literally burned the Muslims, Jews etc. They mutilated the babies and raped the Muslim women. Their savagery acts has also been repeated by the Mogols. But that's an another story.

Salahuddin Ayyubi (May Allah have mercy on him) was potrayed fair and accurate for the most part. He was potrayed as a merciful ruler and the Mujahideens as merciful warriors. However, when they captured Salahuddin Ayyubi (May Allah have mercy on him)'s sister -- Salahuddin did not attack to rescue her. Instead he waited because his final dream was to re-capture Jerusalem that belongs to the Muslims. He re-united the Muslim armies and prepared to take back Jerusalem that belongs to Islam.

However, that wasn't shown in the movie, instead, the motive used in the movie for recapturing Jerusalem was to revenge his sister which is incorrect.

Also, the movie potrayed the Crusaders, when being attacked, as "resistance fighters" who were going to fight for the freedom of the inhabitants of Jerusalem -- yea right.

We all know this is far from the truth since they brutally massacred and oppressed the inhabitants of Jerusalem and that the only reason they fought for Jerusalem was for their false notion "that the city belongs to Christians"

It's also worthy to note that they showed in the movie the inhabitants (Christians, and a handful Jews and Muslims) of Jerusalem were trying to get ready to fight the Muslim armies.

The truth is that the handful Muslim and Jews where trying to help the Muslim armies in every possible way just like how the Jews helped the Muslim armies in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain).

Lastly, when Salahuddin Ayyubi regained Jerusalem, he stated that anyone can stay and they will not be wronged and if they don't want to stay, they can freely go. He also declared that Jews may return to Jerusalem and hold pilgrimages to the Holy city whilst prior to the liberation, they were banned by the Crusaders.

The Spanish poet Yehuda al-Harizi, who was in Jerusalem in 1207 , described the significance for the Jews of the recovery of Jerusalem by Salahuddin Ayyubi :

(In A.D.1190) God aroused the spirit of the prince of the Ishmaelites [Salahuddin Ayyabi], a prudent and courageous man, who came with his entire army, besieged Jerusalem, took it and had it proclaimed throughout the country that he would receive and accept the entire race of Ephraim, wherever they came from. And so we came from all comers of the world to take up residence here. We now live here in the shadow of peace.


The German-Jewish historian of the Nineteenth Century, Heinrich Graetz in his Geschichte der Juden [History of the Jews], vol. 11, published in 1853, states that the Sultan, opened the whole kingdom to the persecuted Jews, so they came to it, seeking security and finding justice

I really enjoyed the visuals of this movie and the Muslim armies shouting Takbir. It really provoked you.

Also, when the Muslims started praying (more than 200k) whilst their enemies could easily take advantage of this.

Allahu Akbar!