Everybody loves George
[d. 303]
Al-Tha`labi, a Sunni scholar of the 11th century, was one of many Muslim writers to tell stories of Saint George: his popularity transcended religions. But Al-Tha`labi makes no mention of the dragon George was so frequently depicted in renaissance art as slaying. He is a Palestinian Christian killed three times by the pagan king of Mosul, yet resurrected each time. After his fourth death, however, an incensed God rains fire on Mosul and nobody, not even George, makes it out alive. Even before Muhammad, God despised pagans.