A believer wrote:

I just got done posting about Masonic lodges, and the red fez that Masons have under glass in some homes are symbolic of the blood of Christians which was shed in a terrible massacre in the town of Fez, Morocco.  Muslims slew thousands of Christians and rejoiced in their victory by gathering their blood in their white hats (fez).  Ever since then, they wear red fezes.  Now that is the meaning of their red fez. 

When I read this, I was minded of the oft-repeated Catholic charge that the private interpretation of the Scriptures by non-Catholics has resulted in thousands of so-called Protestant denominations. That particular claim not too long ago was a favored tool of Catholic apologists attacking the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. The more I ran against this fallacious argument; the more I noticed that those who used it did not agree in specific points.

When I would challenge the validity of the claims concerning thousands and thousands of so-called Protestant denominations, not a single Catholic apologist was able to identify to me the source of that information. Eventually, I was able to discover the source from which flowed the information that Catholic apologists have corrupted by the application of applied imagination and outright lies. As every believer should be aware, the number of denominations in the professing Christian church is significantly less than the 30 or 40 thousands that some Catholics claim.

I often check out claims that appear to me to be of questionable validity. When I do this, my intention is not to embarrass anyone. I seek only to discover the facts of the matter under investigation. In most cases, in my experience, the person posting the argument is unable to identify the root source of the information. Lacking a foundational information source, I initiate a search of my own.

I devoted what was, for me, a significant amount of time to searching for a historical record of the alleged, and undated, massacre of “thousands of Christians” in Fez. I found nothing. What I did uncover was a major pile of records of Muslim massacres of Jews in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain. In 1465, for example, Muslim fanatics murdered all but 11 of the Jews living in Fez at that time. I was unable to discover information relative to the slaughter of more than a few Christians in Fez in the early 20th Century, but no reliable information concerning the murder of thousands of Christians.

The above is not to suggest that I did not find any mention of Muslim massacres of Christians in Fez. Quite the contrary. I encountered innumerable references to the slaughter of “thousands,” “tens of thousands,” “30,000,” “42,000;” etc. I also encountered a variety of references to the fez hat and Christian blood. Some claimed the blood of slain Christians ran like a river in the streets of Fez. Other reports told of how Christians had been compelled to dig a huge pit, into which their murdered bodies were thrown, filling the pit with blood. Just about every one of these unattributed accounts mentioned how the Muslim residents of Fez dipped their white caps into the blood of the Christian martyrs, causing them to become red in color. The reports often informed that ever since that undated and apparently unrecorded pogrom, some Muslims have continued to wear the blood red fez in commemoration of the “religious cleansing” of Fez.

I believe it worth noting that I came across one questionable recounting of that Fez massacre tale from an undoubtedly unreliable source: A Catholic Sermon. This source provided information that added a Romish touch of anti-Semitism to the alleged massacre:

We should not allow ourselves to be intimidated by the lying Talmudists and others who hypocritically complain that the Catholic Church forces people to become members of it. What is true of the Muslim and similar peddlers of false religion is most certainly not true of the Roman Catholic Church.

Like Her Master, the Church knocks on the door of the soul. The door can only be opened by the resident of that house. Some Jews like to have the world believe that they had been forced to convert to Catholicism or suffer execution.

It would be worthwhile knowing when and where such a thing happened. We do have historical evidence that shows the bigoted mind of these people. We know that Christians were murdered by Muslims for not converting to their false religion. The fez worn by Freemasons is a symbol of the massacre of Roman Catholics in Fez, Morocco who refused to abandon their faith.-- Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans), Sermon for Trinity Sunday; "The Roman Catholic Church: Her Doctrine and Morals", 15 June 2003

Topic: Fez, tarbush, and taj

A fellow asked us to investigate the story hiding under the fez. A fez is a brimless, cone-shaped, flat-crowned hat that usually has a tassel, usually is made of red felt, and is associated with both Shriners and with men in eastern Mediterranean countries. Our correspondent had been told that the characteristic red color of the fez originated in a long-ago bloody massacre in which the victors dipped their hats in the blood of the vanquished.

We're delighted to report that so-called explanation is just not true. The color of the fez is a matter of style; the name fez recognizes the Moroccan city where the hat was manufactured.--Word for the Wise: Archive, Miriam-Webster Online

In the absence of a more definitive source and given the wide variety of details concerning the massacre, cold reason inclines me to go along with Webster's report. This is not to suggest that I am unwilling to change my understanding should reliable source data be provided.

Nothing in the foregoing should be viewed as supportive of Freemasonry. I consider Freemasonry to be an ecumenical and pagan religion that combines, corrupts and perverts the elements of foundational doctrines of Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Demon worship, etc. I do not believe that one can be both Mason and Christian, for the doctrines of the two bodies are antithetical to one another.

For those who question charges that Freemasonry is a pagan religion, I suggest you surf over to a site maintained by professing Christians who are former Masons. They offer a world of information concerning Freemasonry and appear willing to respond to specific questions. The site offers a number of Masonic books and documents for reading or downloading. Of particular interest, to me at least, are the manuals for Masonic conducting rituals of induction and promotion. Since these are straight from the horse's mouth, as it were, I believe the information they provide may be considered reliable. Clicking here will take readers to the site's index page, where you will read these words of introduction:

Why would you want to lead Masons away from the Masonic Lodge?
Freemasonry has a false plan of salvation and another savior.
The god of Freemasonry is not the God of the Bible.