Assassins, a religious sect

The '''Hashshashin''' (also '''Hashishim'''), or '''Assassins''' were a religious sect (Nizaris) of Islam with a militant basis,

thought to be active in the 8th through 14th (?) centuries as a group of brigands on the medieval Afghanistan Silk Road.

Their own name for the sect was '''al-da'wa al-jadda''' which means ''the new doctrine'' and they called themselves

fedayeen from the Arabic ''fid''' which means ''one who is ready to sacrifice his life for the cause''. The name

''Hashshashin'' was given to them by their Muslim enemies. The group was the first to transform the act of murder into a

system and an ideology directed against Muslim rulers that they saw as impious usurpers. They were careful to kill the

targeted individual, seeking to do so without any additional casualties. Their weapon of choice was a dagger, rejecting

poison, bows and other weapons that allowed the attacker to escape. However, under no circumstances did they commit

suicide, preferring to be killed by their captors.

Etymology of the word "assassin"

The name "assassin" is commonly believed to be a mutation of the Arabic "han" ("hashish-eaters"). However, there are

those who dispute this etymology, arguing that it originates from Marco Polo's account of his visit to Alamut in 1273, in

which he describes a drug whose effects are more like those of alcohol than of hashish. It is suggested by some writers that

''assassin'' simply means 'followers of Al-Hassan' (or Hasan-i Sabbah, the Sheikh of Alamut).

History of the Hashshashin

Although known as early as the 8th century, the foundation of the '''Assassins''' is usually marked as 1090 when Hasan-i

Sabbah established his stronghold in the mountains south of the Caspian Sea at Alamut. A Yemeni emigrant and an Ismaili

Shiite, Hasan set the aim of the Assassins to destroy the power of the Abbasid Caliphate by murdering its most powerful

members. Hasan ibn Sabbah was also known as "The Old Man of the Mountain," however, this is likely to have been a

mistake in translation, since "Old Man" is the literal translation of "Sheikh." Much of the current western lore surrounding

the Assassins stems from Marco Polo's supposed visit to Alamut in 1273, which is widely considered mythical (especially as

the stronghold was allegedly destroyed by the Mongols already in 1256). The group inspired an aura of fear out of all

proportion to their power. The members were organized into discrete levels, based upon their initiation into the secrets of

the order. The devotees constituted a class that sought martyrdom and followed orders with unquestioned devotion, orders

which included assassination. Because of the secretive nature of the order, it has often been invoked in conspiracy theories.

Most of the victims of the Assassins were Sunni Muslims. There were some extremely highly placed victims including Nizam-

ul-Mulk. Christians were largely untouched by the depredations of the Assassins; it was not until the middle of the 12th

century that they had even really heard of them, although Conrad of Montferrat - the King of Jerusalem - was a victim (the

Assassins may have even been hired by Richard the Lionheart). The power of the Hashshashin was destroyed by the Mongol

warlord Hulagu Khan, but several smaller sects remain to this day, such as the sect led by the Aga Khan. During the Mongol

assault, the library of the sect was destroyed, and thus much information about them was lost. The word "assassin" in the

English language has come to denote a murderer, usually with a political motive.

Methodology

Legends stated that the Assassins were trained using ideology and drugs to convince them that they were assured a place in

paradise if they were successful in murder. They subdued, kidnapped, drugged and seduced the fiercest caravan guards,

convincing them with elaborate means that they had died and awakened in Paradise surrounded by beautiful virgins.

Thereafter, on subsequent raids, they fought furiously, believing that their death would only return them to that Paradise.

The training technique was sophisticated for its time, especially the use of Ismaeeli sect dogma, drugs, and sex in

combination. Recruits were promised Paradise in return for dying in action. They were drugged, often with materials such as

hashish (some suggest opium and wine as well) then spirited away to a garden stocked with attractive and compliant

women and fountains of wine. At this time, they were awakened and it was explained to them that such was their reward

for the deed, convincing them that their leader, Hassan-i-Sabah, could open the gates to Paradise