610: The Battle of Kerbala, or Karbala (in present-day Iraq) where Hussein, whom Shiites believe was next in line to be caliph, is beheaded. Hussein was the son of Ali, who was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death is at the origin of a cult of martyrdom that Shiites commemorate every year, in passion plays and recreations of the Battle of Kerbala, and through the observance of Ashura.
732:In the Battle of Tours, near Poitiers in south-central France, the leader of the Franks, Charles Martel and his men, defeat Muslim troops, marking the end of Muslim expansion in westeern Europe. "Western people have often exaggerated the importance of Poitiers," wrote historian Karen Armstrong, "which was no Waterloo. The Arabs felt no compulsion--religious or otherwise--to conquer western Christendom in the name of Islam. Indeed, Europe seemed remarkably unattractive to them: there were few opportunities for trade in that primitive backwater, little booty to be had, and the climate was terrible."
1980: Nineteen days into the Iran-Iraq war, Libya throws its support behind Iran and declares it an "Islamic duty" for Arab nations to back Tehran in the escalating war. Libya becomes the first Arab state openly to back Iran, a Persian nation, further fracturing the frayed notion of Arab unity.
1983: Israel's Yitzhak Shamir wins a narrow vote of confidence in the Knesset, 60-53, to succeed Menachem Begin as prime minister. Begin, in ill health and largely discredited by the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and a faltering economy, is not present for the vote.
2002: The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Iraq War Resolution, formally known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq, 296-133. The Senate passed it the following day.
- What Was the Iraq War Resolution?
- Text of the Resolution
- Iraq War Timeline, 2003-2008
- Iraq War: Everything You Want and Need to Know
2003: Seven Palestinians, including three boys, are killed and more than 40 wounded when Israeli forces raid the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip during the night, searching for tunnels alleged to be used by Palestinians to smuggle weapons from Egypt. Two Palestinian suicide bombings had struck Israel in the previous two weeks, including one in Haifa that killed 20 Israelis.
