22. The Assassins Adopted One of History’s Most Innovative Recruitment Strategies
Recruits were summoned to Assassins’ fortresses, and housed in bare cells. They underwent daily religious lectures and education, during which it was gradually hinted that Sheik Hassan al Sabah or his successors controlled entry to heaven. Then, one day the more promising of the innocent young men were drugged with hashish – a practice that earned the group the Arabic name “Hashashin“, which Europeans might have transliterated into “Assassins” Europeans. A likelier origin is that the group referred to themselves as “Asasiyun“, from the Arabic word “Asas” or foundation, to denote that they were faithful to the foundations of Islam.
When the recruit came to, high on hash, he found himself amidst carefully landscaped orchard gardens through which clear streams meandered between rows of vines heavy with grapes, and trees ripe with fruit. Cute animals such as lambs and tame deer frolicked about; peacocks wandered around, ruffling and spreading their gorgeous tails; while brightly colored birds flitted through the branches above, trilling and filling the air with their song. Amid the breathtaking surroundings were breathtakingly beautiful women to seduce the recruit, cater to his physical desires, and satisfy his sexual whims.