GOD'S ASSASSINS (Devil's Histories)

Terrorism - the imposition of, or opposition to, government with the threat or fear of force - is mostly regarded as a modern horror, implemented by bombs, hijackings and assassinations. But the origins of terrorism occur far back in the Middle Ages, when the forefathers of the modern world's most uncompromising terrorists - al-Qaeda and the Palestinian suicide bombers, laid down their murderous creed. In the 11th Century, Europe was a region of feudal kingdoms at war, while the Middle East was much more pluralistic, placing less theological restrictions on the lives of individuals or the pursuit of knowledge. It was against this liberal environment that Pope Urban II launched his own version of a 'jihad' - a holy war against the decadent, unholy Islamic world. The reaction in the Islamic world was one of increasing fury, and we continue to reap its consequences centuries later. Islam would become increasingly militant and radical, as Muslim sects that preached intolerance and force gained ground. One such heretical sect was the Nizaris, a mystical order of warriors founded by a Persian named Hassan Bin Sabah, later known in the West as the Assassins. Hassan inspired fanatical loyalty in his followers and Assassin cultists were unafraid of capture and death. According to tales brought back to Europe by Marco Polo in 1295, the Old Man of the Mountains fed his followers with hashish before taking them to a secluded garden where they were indulged with forbidden pleasures - principally, the sexual favors of young women. On returning to normal consciousness, the Assassin was told he had experienced the heavenly garden of Paradise and would spend all eternity there, provided he lived in the service of the cult. Assassin cultists would therefore infiltrate enemy courts and army camps, reputedly remaining incognito for years, ready to commit murder upon their master's signal. It was the birth of strategic terrorism.In modern times the legend of the Assassins carries a more symbolic significance. Some intellectuals have drawn a parallel between Hassan Bin Sabah's maxim, "Nothing is true - everything is permissible", describing the dream-trance of the hashish eater, and the 1950s concept of "brainwashing": the belief in turning soldiers into sleeping assassins. Most chilling, however, is the Islamic fundamentalist belief in martyrdom through assassination. High on nothing but piety the suicide bombers, the followers of Osama Bin Laden, and the September 11th terrorists were promised that which their puritan creed denies them on earth - the sexual favors of "the 72 houris [virgins] of heaven", as a reward for he who kills in the name of Allah. This illuminating study analyses the origins and history of terrorism, separating legend from truth to uncover the true roots of the fanatical terrorist acts the world has witnessed in the last decade. This will be essential reading for all historians, and for anyone who, up until now, may have thought that outrageous acts of terrorism causing untold civilian casualties, was a curse of the modern age.