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October 12, 2004
 

al Qaeda and the Assassin Cult: Fighting The Eternal War


Historical pattern could link 21st Century al Qaeda to 11th Century Nizari Assassin cult


Insignia of the Muslim Brotherhood"Thus, this struggle is not a temporary phase but an eternal state -- an eternal state, as truth and falsehood cannot co-exist on this earth. ... The eternal struggle for the freedom of man will continue until the religion is purified for God."

-- Sayyed Qutb, "Jihad in the Cause of God"

On September 11, many Americans took their first hard look at the web of extremist groups known as al Qaeda, and publishers scoured their libraries for books that could offer insight into the phenomenon of radical Islamic terrorism.

Many drew an immediate connection between al Qaeda and the infamous Islamic radical sect of the 11th century, the Nizaris, best known today as the Assassin cult. These early comparisons were often more glib than accurate; many glossed over important gaps that created a seemingly insurmountable gulf of history and theology between the two movements.

But a still-closer examination of the two movements reveals fascinating parallels between al Qaeda and the Assassins, even suggesting a possible path for a historical link between the two. INTELWIRE's J.M. Berger has written a four-part analysis of the topic on behalf of the Rotten.com library. The result is an intriguing hypothetical scenario that could have major implications for the War on Terrorism as it is understood today.

Part I: Secret Agents of Islam

A look at an al Qaeda operation in motion. A lot can be learned from the techniques and organizations that supported al Qaeda's infiltration of the United States in the early 1990s, examining the behavior and movements of operatives and leaders like Ramzi Yousef, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ayman al-Zawahiri.


Part II: Mind Control And Murder Cults

The operational structure of al Qaeda bears remarkable similarities to the secret society model used by the Assassins, according to intelligence gathered over the last few years from prisoner interrogations and thousands of recovered documents. A deep comparison of the two organizations yields important insights into how al Qaeda's structure insulates it from conventional attacks.

Part III: al Qaeda as Ecumenical Outreach

A key objection to comparing al Qaeda to the Assassin cult is theological: al Qaeda is primarily a Sunni Muslim organization; the Assassins were Shi'ites. But the history of each group is entwined with practices designed to obscure the real beliefs of members, including cooperation among normally competing factions.

Part IV: Then and Now; the Missing Link

The preceding chapters look at the parallels between the Assassins of the 11th Century and al Qaeda in the 21st, but they do not suggest a historical narrative linking the two movements. Part IV of this series examines a example of how a concrete historical link could someday be drawn between the Assassins and al Qaeda's modern killers.

Discuss this series




TOPIC INDEX OF INTELWIRE DOCUMENTS

Here's a sampling of INTELWIRE's extensive archive of classified and declassified government documents, court records related to terrorism, rare transcripts and more. New documents are added every month.

Click here for the latest additions

  • Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
  • Ali Mohamed
  • Terror Detainees
  • 9/11 Attacks
  • WTC Bombing (1993)
  • History of Al Qaeda
  • Jose Padilla
  • Zacarias Moussaoui
  • Millennium Bombing
  • African Embassy Bombings
  • Benevolence Foundation
  • U.S. Intervention in Bosnia
  • Al Qaeda in Bosnia (2008)
  • PATCON (FBI Undercover Op)
  • Oklahoma City Bombing
  • Aryan Republican Army
  • Texas Reserve Militia
  • Special Forces Underground
  • Meir Kahane
  • The Siege At Mecca
  • Egyptian Extremism
  • Sadat Assassination
  • Political Islam, Extremism
  • Toronto Terror Cell
  • Assassin Cult
  • Miscellaneous Terrorism


  • INTELWIRE EXCLUSIVES

  • Female Al Qaeda Suspect Diagnosed With Depressive Type Psychosis

    INTELWIRE WEBLOG

  • Indictment of Aafia Siddiqui
  • OKBOMB Docs, Strassmeir, Gamaat Islamiyah
  • Rumbles Around Awakening
  • Obama Threat: A Profiling Failure
  • Al Qaeda's 20th Anniversary
  • Anthrax investigation, key documents
  • Hamdan Trial Documents
  • Origin of the word Bojinka?
  • FOIA Reveals D.C. Madam Investigative Files
  • State Department Report On Wagdy Ghoneim

    NEW DOCUMENTS

  • 1984: 990 Form, U.S. Council for World Freedom
  • 2001 to 2007: U.S. civilians killed; Iraq, Afghanistan
  • 9/2/2008: Aafia Siddiqui indictment
  • 4/28/1995: State Dept OKBOMB Query to Bonn
  • 2/29/1996: Affidavit of Andreas Strassmeir
  • 4/27/1995: State Dept OKBOMB Query, Hong Kong
  • 4/20/1995: Gamaat Islamiya call on OKC
  • 4/20/1995: Brussels call on OKC
  • 4/23/1995: Riyadh call on OKC
  • 5/18/1995: FBI, FD-302, OKBOMB, FEMA Report
  • 5/31/1995: FBI, FD-302, Murrah Building Demolition
  • 3/28/96: FBI, FD-302, OKBOMB, Wayne Green
  • FBI 9/11 Investigation, 1/1/02 to 4/30/02
  • Indictment of Tharin Gartrell (Obama threat)
  • Indictment of Nathan Johnson (Obama threat)
  • Indictment of Shawn Robert Adolf (Obama threat)
  • Anthrax/Ivins investigation, affidavit, 10/31/2001
  • Anthrax/Ivins investigation, affidavit, 10/31/2007

    INTELWIRE ON TV

    VIDEO CLIP: J.M. Berger discusses Mohammed Jamal Khalifa with Al Jazeera English. Click here to view.

    INTELWIRE EXCLUSIVES

  • Behind the Rumsfeld-Saddam Handshake
  • Terrorists Add Strong Encryption To Toolbox
  • PATCON: The FBI's Secret War With The Militia
  • The 1994 Attempt To Kill Osama Bin Laden
  • U.S. Secretly Met Blind Sheik's Disciples
  • The Infiltrator and 9/11: Ali Mohamed
  • Jamal Khalifa: Life and Death Secrets

    INTELWIRE SOURCEBOOKS

  • Al Qaeda In America
  • The Siege at Mecca Sourcebook
  • Islamic Extremism in Egypt
  • Mohammed Jamal Khalifa Sourcebook
  • Ali Mohamed Sourcebook
  • The Sadat Assassination
  • Gitmo Detainees Vol. 1 Sourcebook
  • Benevolence Foundation Sourcebook
  • List of Al Qaeda Members (Summer '07)
  • Who's Who in Terrorism, Winter '06

    NEW WEBLOG

  • DOCBLOG: New 9/11 Chronological Post
  • Yet Another OKBOMB Informant
  • Mainstream Media Playing Catch-Up On Al-Libbi
  • The Perils of Awakening
  • Zarqawi Mentor Maqdisi Free Again

    MORE DOCUMENTS

  • Unpaid Bills Cripple FBI Phone Tap Program
  • Fort Dix Six Recruit For al Qaeda In Prison
  • First-Person View Of CIA Rendition, Prison
  • The Anwar Aulaqi Files
  • FBI Documents Cited By 9/11 Commission
  • New Connections Between Saudi Gov, Hijackers
  • Hijackers' Timeline
  • The hijackers' pal and the Saudi government
  • More information on Omar Al-Bayoumi
  • Still more on Omar Al-Bayoumi
  • Analysis of 9/11 Hijacker's Cell Model
  • FBI Report on Conflict Diamonds and Al Qaeda
  • Summary (1999): Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
  • Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's American Education
  • Unpaid Bills Cripple FBI Phone Tap Program
  • Fort Dix Six Recruit For al Qaeda In Prison
  • First-Person View Of CIA Rendition, Prison
  • 12/04/07: Terry Nichols Claims OKC Coverup
  • 5/20/92: State Dept. (DOS) Threat Summary, Algerian Crisis And Terrorist Attack
  • 8/21/92: DOS Intel Summary, Algeria, Syria
  • 2/4/92: DOS Cable, Arab Afghans in Algeria
  • 4/27/1991: DOS Report, Political Islam in Algeria
  • More INTELWIRE documents
  • More 9/11 documents on INTELWIRE

    MORE INTELWIRE WEBLOG

  • The Problem With FOIA...
  • 'Islamic Terrorists' vs. 'Christian Terrorists'?
  • I'm Sorry, But I Want That Mug
  • Meir Kahane's Biological Terror Ambitions
  • Spy Satellites "Delayed," But History Says Otherwise
  • Video: Militants Who Besieged Mecca In 1979
  • Judge Muksaey And Bin Laden's Top Spy

    MORE EXCLUSIVES

  • Yahya Al-Libbi: A New Leader Steps Up
  • CIA Chief Watched Al Qaeda Arm In Bosnia
  • Channel Change in the Middle East

    ABOUT INTELWIRE

    INTELWIRE.com is a clearinghouse for analysis, investigative reports and exclusive research documents relating to the War on Terror, domestic and international extremism, and Middle Eastern politics.

    J.M. BERGER, WEBMASTER

    INTELWIRE's J.M. Berger has covered terrorism and related issues for the National Geographic Channel, National Public Radio, Public Radio International and more. As a freelance reporter, he has written for the San Francisco Examiner, the Boston Globe and others.

    Resume | | LinkedIn

    SPECIAL REPORT

    PATCON Revealed: An Exclusive Look Inside The FBI's Secret War With The Milita Movement

    The FBI used undercover agents and an extensive network of informants as part of a secret campaign to penetrate the militia movement during the early 1990s, according to documents obtained by INTELWIRE. Members of the targeted groups were linked to the Iran-Contra scandal, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Olympic Park Bomber Eric Rudolph.

    MORE DOCUMENTS

  • 5/20/92: State Dept. (DOS) Threat Summary, Algerian Crisis, Terror Attack
  • 8/21/92: DOS Intel Summary, Algeria, Syria
  • 2/4/92: DOS Cable, Arab Afghans in Algeria
  • 4/27/1991: DOS Report, Political Islam in Algeria
  • 1970s: Order of St. John banking Scam
  • 10/31/07: FBI Opposes Terry Nichols Testimony
  • 7/15/93: FBI Teletype, Order of St. John (OSJ)
  • 12/21/90: FBI Memo, Texas Reserve Militia (TRM)
  • 7/26/90: FBI PATCON Undercover Operation
  • 1/10/91: FBI Lab Report, Texas Reserve Militia
  • 2/4/92: Letter From FBI's Larry Potts to US Army
  • 1/22/92: FBI Teletype, TRM, Civilian Material Assistance (CMA)
  • 1/3/92: FBI Memo, Danny Coulson to Potts, PATCON
  • 1/8/92: FBI Memo, Coulson to Potts, PATCON
  • 10/1/92: FBI Teletype, PATCON, Theft of Stingers
  • 11/21/91: FBI FD-302, CMA Convention
  • 12/26/92: FBI Memo, CMA, TRM, Interlocking
  • 12/10/91: FBI FD-302, Threat To FBI In Phoenix
  • 12/10/91: FBI FD-302,CMA Convention
  • 2/5/92: FBI Teletype, OSJ
  • 4/1/92: FBI, PATCON OSJ Compound Infiltration
  • 1/22/92: FBI Teletype, CMA
  • 7/1/92: FBI Memo, OSJ, John L. Grady

    PERENNIAL FAVORITES

  • Torture & White House Ethics Vid
  • How Al Qaeda Recruited U.S. Vets
  • The 1994 Attempt To Kill Osama Bin Laden
  • U.S. Secretly Met Blind Sheik's Disciples
  • 9/11/2026: A Look Ahead With CIA's Michael Scheuer
  • The Trentadue Files: FOIA on OKC
  • Trentadue Documents Reveal OKC Informants
  • U.S., Interpol Tracked Khalifa Before Killing
  • 1994 Arrest of OBL Brother-In-Law Khalifa
  • Al Qaeda Spy Crafted 9/11 Network
  • New Link Between Ali Mohamed And 9/11
  • Who Masterminded 1993 WTC Bombing?
  • Channel Change in the Middle East
  • Al Qaeda And OKC: Unfinished Investigation
  • Did Nichols and Yousef meet?
  • Yahya Al-Libbi: A New Leader Steps Up
  • 1991 Memo Warned of 'Turner' Bombing
  • CIA Gave OKC Imagery, Data Leads To FBI
  • No 'Dirty Bomb' in Padilla Questioning
  • Takfir Cult Linked To 1979 Mecca Siege
  • More INTELWIRE Stories

    THE AL QAEDA NETWORK

  • Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Confesses 9/11, WTC 1993 | (Transcript)
  • Minutes of al Qaeda Founding
  • Toronto Terror Cell's al Qaeda Links
  • London Air Bomb Design Traces To Yousef
  • Taliban Fundraising Web Site

    AL QAEDA & THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

  • Moussaoui Had Phone # For CIA Mercs
  • How Al Qaeda Recruited U.S. Vets

    TERRORIST SECTS

  • Takfir Cult Linked To Mecca Siege
  • Al Qaeda and The Assassins
  • Al Qaeda Recruited Christians in Cebu

    IRAQ WAR

  • 'Sidewalk beheadings' hit Iraq |
  • Nick Berg Conspiracy Theories
  • American-Made: Al Qaeda's New Caliphate
  • Rumsfeld: 'Inhuman' Acts At Abu Ghraib
  • Class Action: More Abu Ghraib Horrors
  • Cell Phone Video of Saddam Hanging

    BOSNIA

  • CIA Chief Watched Al Qaeda Arm In Bosnia
  • Richard Perle Linked To MPRI Bosnia Hire

    AL QAEDA'S AMERICANS

  • American's Star Rises In al Qaeda
  • Jose Padilla: Backgrounder
  • FBI Interrogation: Jose Padilla
  • U.S. v Omar Abdel Rahman Transcript
  • Azzam the American: Background, Video
  • Photos: Padilla as 'Enemy Combatant'

    J.M. BERGER AUDIO

    INTELWIRE Webmaster J.M. Berger works as a freelance producer of nationally syndicated news programming. Here are links to public radio news reports he helped produce.

  • Al Qaeda's Online Secrets
  • Iraq: The Last Nation-State?
  • U.S. Fatwa Against Terrorism
  • Interrogation at Gitmo
  • The Trial of Saddam Hussein
  • London Bombing Standoff
  • Brits Pursue Bombing Leads
  • 7/7 Traced To Saudi
  • Controversial Iraq War Drama
  • The Death of King Fahd

  • (C) 2002-2007, J.M. Berger, all rights reserved