Bernard Lewis

El Oriente Próximo ha sido un escenario privilegiado de la historia: lugar de nacimiento de tres grandes religiones y de numerosas civilizaciones, centro de poder político y militar... Se le han dedicado infinidad de libros, pero nadie hasta ahora se habia atrevido a ofrecernos un panorama que abarcase dos mil años de historia, desde la aparicion del cristianismo hasta la guerra del Golfo, de esa compleja encrucijada del viejo mundo, y que no solo sintetizase los acontecimientos politicos y militares, sino que analizase al propio tiempo la economia, la sociedad y la cultura. Y, sin embargo, solo dentro de esta perspectiva temporal larga cobran pleno sentido los acontecimientos del pasado y los problemas del presente.

The history of an extremist Islamic sect in the 11th-12th centuries whose terrorist methods gave the English language a new word: assassin.The word Assassin was brought back from Syria by the Crusaders, and in time acquired the meaning of murderer. Originally it was applied to the members of a Muslim religious sect - a branch of the Ismailis, and the followers of a leader known as the Old Man of the Mountain. Their beliefs and their methods made them a by-word for both fanaticism and terrorism in Syria and Persia in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the subject of a luxuriant growth of myth and legend.In this book, Bernard Lewis begins by tracing the development of these legends in medieval and modern Europe and the gradual percolation of accurate knowledge concerning the Ismailis. He then examines the origins and activities of the sect, on the basis of contemporary Persian and Arabic sources, and against the background of Middle Eastern and Islamic history. In a final chapter he discusses some of the political, social and economic implications of the Ismailis, and examines the significance of the Assassins in the history of revolutionary and terrorist movements.

Publicado originalmente en 1967, y completado para esta edición con un nuevo prólogo, Los Asesinos constituye un documento exhaustivo acerca de los primeros terroristas de la historia. Establecidos en Siria en los siglos xi y xn, los Asesinos eran una secta fanatica del Islam que aspiraba a derribar el orden suni imperante en su epoca. Para ello, aterrorizaron a sus conciudadanos con una serie de asesinatos a sangre fria de lideres islamicos, asi como de algunos de los Cruzados, quienes lleva analiza tanto su doctrina como la vida de su enigmatico fundador, el legendario Viejo de la Montaña. Los Asesinos fueron el primer grupo que hizo un uso sistematico, planificado y a largo plazo del asesinato como herramienta politica; sus ideales y metodos han encontrado numerosos imitadores. Este estudio situa los recientes acontecimientos en su perspectiva historica y arroja nueva luz sobre el fanatismo de raiz religiosa.

What does "jihad" really mean? What is the Muslim conception of law? What is Islam''s stance toward unbelievers? Probing literary and historical sources, Bernard Lewis traces the development of Islamic political language from the time of the Prophet to the present. His analysis of documents written in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish illuminates differences between Muslim political thinking and Western political theory, and clarifies the perception, discussion, and practices of politics in the Islamic world. "Lewis''s own style, combining erudition with a simple elegance and subtle humor, continues to inspire. In an era of specialization and narrowing academic vision, he stands alone as one who deserves, without qualification, the title of historian of Islam."--Martin Kramer, "Middle East Review" "A superb effort at synthesis that presents all the relevant facts of Middle Eastern history in an eminently lucid form. . . . It is a book that should prove both rewarding and congenial to the Muslim reader."--S. Parvez Manzor, "Muslim World Book Review" "By bringing his thoughts together in this clear, concise and readable account, Lewis] has placed in his debt scholars and all who seek to understand the Muslim world."--Ann K. S. Lambton, "Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies" " Lewis] constructs a fascinating account of the ways in which Muslims have conceived of the relations between ruler and ruled, rights and duties, legitimacy and illegitimacy, obedience and rebellion, justice and oppression. And he shows how changes in political attitudes and concepts can be traced through changes in the political vocabulary."--Shaul Bakhash, "New York Review of Books"