Myth is that the word ‘assassin’ was derived from the Arabic word haschishin, the hashish user. It is said that Hassan ibn Sabbah built a ‘paradise’ in his mountain fortress Alamut and under the influence of hashish, his fedayeen used to occasionally visit the paradise for few nights and then proceed on a mission to assassinate some high official or ruling elite in the neighbouring governorates and states. It was Hassan’s doctrine for his fedayeen to murder the target in a public place, to let everyone be terrorised, but at same time win the hearts of the masses by dying courageously if caught by the security forces.
That was 1100s when Hassan was terrorising the Middle East of his time, now it’s 2016. Anything changed? I doubt it. If Hassan was using hashish to control his fedayeen, Daesh is using its own interpretation of religion to brainwash educated and civilised masses to become animals to assassinate even their mothers to please their masters.
Al Saqr Al-Qasem, a Daesh fighter shot dead his mother, Leena, in a public place. What was her fault? She wanted her son to leave Raqqa, Daesh’s so-called capital. Instead he turned her in to his followers ruling Raqqa nowadays. She was charged with apostasy and was sentenced to death. She was executed by her own son. Who said Ibn Sabbah died in 1124? He is very much alive and taking far more uglier forms. The world is facing ‘assassins’ who are now on a new type of ‘hashish’.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
