Author: Gavin Baddeley and Paul Woods
Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing, 2009
Price: £14.99 (paperback)
Isbn: 9780711034099

God’s Assassins, the first volume in the Devil’s Histories series from Ian Allen Publishing, takes an alternative approach to the history of Hasan-i-Sabbah and the Hashishim. Formed to defend the interests of the Nizari sub-sect of Islam, the Hashishim are clouded by myth, received knowledge and propaganda. Conflict between different Islamic factions in the Mediæval Middle East was as common as warfare with the Christian Crus­aders. The Hashishim employed techniques of asymmetric warfare, close-quarters assassination and long-term infiltration. These tactics combined with a willingness to give their lives, enabling them to get close enough to kill their target. It is this aspect that has the most resonance with the asymmetric conflict in the Middle East today. The knife was the chosen weapon of the Hashishim, the placing of a knife within the enemy’s personal quarters often being enough to communicate their intention, and ability to get to the target.

However, the story is far from simple, and Baddeley and Woods use discussion and narrat­ive passages to draw out the complexity of Hasan-i-Sabbah. Hasan is a shadowy figure whose influence stretched throughout the Mediæval Middle East, but for most of his life didn’t leave his chambers in the fortress of Alamut. The stories surrounding him are confused. He lived an aust­ere life (he had one son executed for drinking alcohol, another banished for playing the flute), yet one of the most enduring themes of the Hashishim story is their use of cannabis. The authors tease away these contradictions.

It is the second element of the volume, which runs as a series of threads throughout, that really captures the complexity of Hasan’s position in history. It is easy to trace his influence in modern Middle Eastern conflicts (although Baddeley and Woods counsel us, wisely, not to consider the Islamic world as an amorphous whole). The authors highlight the resonance of Hasan-i-Sabbah throughout the modern world. The Hashishim, and Hasan-i-Sabbah in particular, have become a symbol with many facets. The authors explore the different forms of assassination in the 20th century, particularly the use of brainwashing typified by The Manchurian Candidate. They investigate the use of drugs in conflict situat­ions and experiments by the CIA. The role of Hasan-i-Sabbah as a counterculture symbol in the work of William Burroughs is also considered. The Old Man of the Mountain, an alternative name for Hasan, is seen in such diverse people as Charles Manson and Osama bin Laden.

This volume may touch on too many subjects for some, covering as it does topics as diverse as the Aum cult, the IRA, Carlos the Jackal and the Church of Scient­ology. It may not be academically rigorous enough for others. The authors do, however, manage to take a different approach to exploring the diverse echoes one small group of people can have down the centuries.