Whether the US war against Iran is nearing its end remains uncertain. Although Trump claims the "military action will gradually de-escalate," on Saturday (March 21) he issued a final ultimatum: if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened within 48 hours, the US will target power plants and other civilian infrastructure. This signals an escalation of the fighting. More alarming, some US soldiers have received messages framing the war against Iran as a "holy war"—the apocalyptic final battle foretold in the Bible's Book of Revelation.
This rhetoric matches the extreme Christian ideology actively promoted by Secretary of War. CNN's review of his recent statements reveals that he casts the war against Iran as a thousand-year reenactment of the "Crusades." Having this religious zealot leading the conflict makes it especially terrifying.
Hegseth calls himself a “modern Crusader,” branding the Iran war a “holy mission” and preaching religious zeal in monthly Pentagon prayer meetings.
According to CNN, the watchdog group Military Religious Freedom Foundation revealed that since the war began, some soldiers received orders from superiors describing the conflict as part of the "end-time final battle" predicted in the Book of Revelation. Other messages reportedly claim the outbreak of war with Iran is meant to usher in Christ’s second coming.
The foundation did not name who issued these messages nor confirm any direct link to Hegseth. However, CNN noted that in recent interviews, he repeatedly referred to “God’s guidance” and the “Christian mission,” framing the conflict in religious terms. He described Iran as a “mad regime obsessed with Islamic fantasy” and portrayed the war's purpose as a righteous battle to purge evil — steeped in religious fanaticism.
Earlier in an interview with CBS, he stated Iran should not doubt an American victory because the US is backed by a supreme power—an "Almighty God" protecting troops as they carry out their holy mission.
Later, while receiving the bodies of fallen soldiers, he said, “The Lord holds my hand in this war and teaches my fingers how to command the battle,” calling it a fight “for faith” and a war of “good over evil.”
Secretary of War's Fanatical Crusade
Not only does he harbor this intense religious fanaticism himself, but he actively promotes “brainwashing” rituals within the War Department, holding monthly prayers designed to embed his extreme beliefs. This has shaped a cadre of “faith warriors” with even deeper religious conviction. Moreover, he invited far-right conservative pastor Doug Wilson—a notorious Christian nationalist—to preach to War Department personnel, turning Wilson into a kind of ideological mentor inside the military.
Before even becoming Defense Secretary (later renamed War Secretary), Hegseth had already earned a reputation as a religious fanatic, sparking heated debate. In 2020, he published American Crusade, openly calling himself a “modern-day crusader” and arguing that the U.S. must revive the Crusades era from a thousand years ago. He proposed launching a “holy war” not only against Islamic forces but also against domestic and foreign leftists as well as “communist China.” He specifically insisted Islamic countries must be denied nuclear weapons (targeting Iran), and if necessary, bombed to prevent any challenge to Christianity.
He went so far as to tattoo the Crusader emblem on his body, bearing the Latin phrase Deus Vult, meaning “God’s will.” He explained the tattoo represented the “battle cry of Christian knights marching on Jerusalem,” and insisted Americans must fight today with the same zeal as those Christian brothers a millennium ago.
Looking back, starting in 1095, the Papacy rallied Western European nations to form Crusader armies, repeatedly launching brutal campaigns against Islamic empires to reclaim the Christian “holy city” of Jerusalem. These battles were ruthless, with Crusaders slaughtering tens of thousands of Muslim civilians after capturing cities. Ultimately, the Islamic empires repelled the Crusaders, ending this violent chapter of history.
The Crusades a thousand years ago were marked by mass slaughter of Muslim civilians wherever they went—an extremely terrifying chapter in history.
Historical Crusades and Modern Echoes
When Trump took office, he tapped Hegseth as Defense Secretary. Many already feared he would inject extreme religious ideology into the Pentagon — and since that suited Trump perfectly, Hegseth sailed through. Now he leads the charge in this 'holy war' against Iran, fulfilling his long-held dream of reenacting the Crusades.
Some American scholars told Al Jazeera that framing this conflict as a 'holy war' carries serious risks. If Trump and Hegseth raise the banner of religious belief with the goal of eradicating evil, the consequences become harder to contain — and compromise nearly impossible to reach.
Current Risks of Holy War Framing
Pope Leo XIV has voiced deep concern over this development. Recently, a group of American Christian leaders gathered at the White House to pray for Trump’s attack on Iraq, which unsettled the Pope. Without naming names, he suggested that “Christian leaders responsible for the war should go repent.”
Rational voices should heed the Pope’s warning. But by now, Trump and Hegseth are consumed by fanaticism and deaf to reason.
Lai Ting-yiu
What Say You?
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
UK leadership churns faster than a revolving door. Six prime ministers in a decade — and the next one is already waiting in the wings.
The hot favorite is Andy Burnham, who has served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years. Known for his approachable, proactive, and upbeat image, he commands strong backing from a bloc of party MPs. His odds of moving into 10 Downing Street are extremely high.
Andy Burnham, UK PM frontrunner, met Chinese Consul General Tang Rui in Manchester this April, sending exiled agitators into a conspiratorial frenzy
Burnham’s governing style and policy preferences differ considerably from those of the recently resigned Keir Starmer. But the two men share one trait: a friendly stance toward China and an active push for Sino-British cooperation. Burnham met with Tang Rui, the Chinese Consul General in Manchester, just months ago — and by all accounts, the conversation went very well.
That should have been excellent news. Instead, UK-based exiled HK agitators erupted in fury. They claimed Beijing had foreseen Burnham's rise to the premiership and placed an "early bet." An obvious, baseless conspiracy theory. Its real purpose: to drum up momentum and rally anti-China forces to pressure the incoming prime minister. A friend living in the UK cut straight to it — Burnham's voter base is rock-solid. He couldn’t care less about these people.
The moment Burnham announced his candidacy yesterday, HK exiles began digging into his record. The yellow media outlet PULSE HK scoured the Chinese Consulate in Manchester's website and found that Consul General Tang Rui had met with Burnham on April 17. Tang noted that bilateral cooperation had yielded positive results and declared this year to be a big year for bilateral cooperation.
The consulate also issued an English press release stating that during the meeting, Burnham "fondly recalled" his past visits to China and emphasized that "Greater Manchester attaches great importance to developing relations with China".
PULSE HK then cited an exile-leaning commentator's post to "deconstruct" the meeting, piling on even more conspiracy theories. The post alleged that Beijing had long read Starmer's "political life" as nearing its end. So Beijing locked onto the rising Burnham and placed its bets early in a calculated "advanced deployment" of "united front" diplomacy.
My UK-based friend tells a very different story. The reality is the ones truly "full of schemes" are the agitators themselves. Seeing Burnham's imminent rise, they want to strike first — smearing him with a "pro-China" label before he even reaches Downing Street. Their likely next move is to join forces with anti-China hawks in Parliament, launching a pincer attack from both inside and out to pressure the new prime minister.
Make no mistake: these two forces have been attacking Starmer relentlessly for years. Every time Starmer and his cabinet officials visited China, they unleashed a barrage of criticism. They also stirred up trouble over China's new embassy plan in the UK, organizing multiple protests where hawkish politicians routinely showed up: flag-waving and shouting alongside "black-clad protesters." Once Burnham takes office, they are expected to run the exact same playbook, pressing him to abandon his China-friendly stance.
That playbook is unlikely to work on Burnham though. First, his relationship with China has remained warmly positive throughout his time as Manchester's mayor. On the evening of April 27 this year, the Hallé in Manchester hosted a grand event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Manchester and Wuhan. Consul General Tang Rui and senior city officials all attended — the atmosphere thoroughly friendly.
Second, Burnham has clear practical calculations at work. He wants to secure Chinese investment for Manchester and Northern England: expanding trade, economic, and technological cooperation to inject momentum into the region's sluggish economy. His investment promotion agency has already put in considerable groundwork, aggressively pitching the "Invest in Manchester" initiative to China. Once he becomes prime minister, he will almost certainly run the same calculation. Why would he shoot himself in the foot just because some agitator’s conspiracy theories?
Third, Burnham has accumulated enormous public goodwill over many years — enough to earn him the title "King of the North." In his eyes, UK-based Hong Kong BNO holders are simply insignificant. He couldn't care less about them. Pro-exile media "exposés" about his China-friendly leanings will have nearly zero impact on his political standing.
Burnham's voter base is rock solid. Anti-China agitators? Not worth losing sleep
The economic wreckage placed before Burnham is his real, monumental challenge. He has only ever managed a city of a few million people. Whether he has the capability to heal a nation of 30 million remains a very open question.
UK media drew on Oxford political scientist Ben Ansell's sharp analogy — likening Starmer to a doctor who walks up to a gravely ill patient, shakes his head, and mutters that someone really ought to do something. Yet for two years, Starmer produced no miracle cure to heal Britain.
The public now places its hopes in Burnham. At the very least, under his watch, Manchester became the fastest-growing city in the UK. But after watching several successive prime ministers fail to prescribe the right medicine, voters hold more doubts than confidence about what he can actually deliver.
As one UK commentator put it plainly: no silver tongue or man-of-the-people act can paper over Britain's deep-rooted structural cracks.
