Christian-Islam Relations

Book Review # 101461

Literature
Religion and Theology > Christianity
Religion and Theology > Islam

This paper discusses the book 'The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis' by Farhad Daftary.

1,309 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that Farhad Daftary's 'The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis' represents an attempt to shine the light of critical scholarship upon one of the most enduring legends produced from the medieval encounter of Christianity and Islam: the Assassins. The writer argues that the close focus of the text upon the medieval period and the formation of legends surrounding the Nizari Isma'ilis - the Islamic sect who form the basis of the Assassin legends - is both a strength and weakness of Daftary's work. The writer maintains that while the author's disciplined focus allows him to clearly discern historical fact from the complex, interweaving narratives of medieval Muslim and Christian legends, it may be argued that many readers would have appreciated a wider discussion at some point of the significance of this "creation" of the Assassin legend in terms of the broad scope of Christian-Islam relations. The writer points out that while this may admittedly be a controversial debate, the contemporary situation offers many points of parallel with the medieval culture that Daftary explores as the birthplace of the legend of the Assassins.

From the Paper:

"In this analysis, Daftary's book reveals how ignorance and misunderstanding can foster not only prejudice but also profound mistrust across cultural and religious boundaries. While Daftary's work is remarkable for its disciplined focus on discerning fact from fantasy in the creation of the legend of the "Assassins" it may be argued that the text is lacking a discussion of the implications of this process in terms of the broader history of Islamic-Christian relations."
"While Daftary's text was written published in 1994, in 2007 we are faced with an engagement between Muslim and Christian worlds with striking echoes of the medieval context explored by Daftary. In place of the "Old Man of the Mountain" we have the legendary figure of Osama bin Laden, secure in his secret lair in the mountains of Pakistan/Afghanistan, and committed to training and sending followers willing to die to perform their missions. A critical reader of Daftary's text would likely be struck by these parallels, and wonder at the extent to which medieval legends has helped shape modern media narratives of the encounters of Islamic and Christian worlds."