September 11th is the day that the army of Suleiman the Magnificent and his 40,000 men were driven from the shores of Malta by the Knights of St. John (Hospitallers) after a tremendous siege. The French commander of the Knights, 70 year old Jean Parisot de la Valette addressed his vastly outnumbered forces: "A formidable army composed of audacious barbarians is descending on this island. These persons, my brothers, are the enemies of Jesus Christ. . .Today is a question of the defense of our faith--as to whether the Gospels are to be superceded by the Koran. God, on this occasion demands of us our lives, already vowed to his service."