INTRODUCTION

The Order of the Knights Templars has its roots in the crusades. To some extent, we had explored it in our previous works, The New Masonic Order (1995) and Global Freemasonry (2002). This order was originally founded to fight for Christianity, but over time-as the Templars acquired immense power, adopted heretical teachings, and established a capitalist system based on material gain, their order fell afoul of the Church.

Rumors circulating about the Templars led to years of investigations, revealing that the order was blasphemous and that it performed black magic rituals, similar to today's satanic sects. The order was subsequently declared unlawful. The Knights' liquidation and arrest arose from a joint decision by the French King and the Pope. Some historians regard the Templars' trial and subsequent liquidation as one of the most significant social events of the Middle Ages.

Ironically, the truly interesting part of the Knights Templars Saga began only after the order was liquidated. According to the generally accepted view, the order went underground, developing a deep animosity for monotheistic religions and the Church in particular and, in the long-term, transmuted into the organization known today as Freemasonry. The Masons' antireligious philosophy and involvement in revolutions and political movements is a consequence of their Templars ancestry.

In other words, the Knights Templars still survive in the present, under the name of Freemasonry. Those who reach the highest degrees of Masonry are granted Templar-inspired titles such as "Guardian of the Temple." In the United States, some lodges that convene under the name of the Knights Templar are affiliated with Masonry. Masonry, on the other hand, continues the Templars' foremost tradition of opposing religion, as well as being actively avaricious, now and again relying on extra-legal methods similar to the Mafia's. Compelling examples-including the P2 Masonic lodge and murders of Jack the Ripper-are scrutinized in this book's later chapters. We will also investigate the Templar/Masons' Syndication's impact on Turkey's recent history.

All this will demonstrate that accepted history facts, and especially current developments, are not always what they appear to be; and that behind processes and events thought to be developing naturally, shadowy designs can be detected. As God reveals to us in the Qur'an (16: 45), those who "organize and propagate evil" are closer than we imagine-often, in fact, nearby.

Masons reaching the highest degree, that of Grand Master, also receive the title of Knights Templar. The above illustration shows the degrees of Masonry, where the highest degree is equivalent to the "Order Knights Templar."