By Islamic fundamentalists, I mean groups like Al Qaeda and other extremist collectives. We’re all used to hearing how European Crusading knights in the medieval age committed atrocities and sowed seeds of mistrust between the west and the Muslim peoples, but what about the conquests of the Mongols? The Siege of Baghdad was worse than anything the Crusaders did; they trampled the Caliph to death in carpets, destroyed a seat of learning and devastated the entire area for generations to come.
Have any extremists in the bent of the late Mr. bin Laden ever spoken about modern Mongolia in terms that reference ancient outrages as they do with the west and the Crusades?
Nitpick: it might have been worse than anything the Crusaders did to Islamic cities, but was no worse than the sack of (Christian) Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade.
They shouldn’t. Hence the introduction “nitpick”. I don’t think they should much care what Christians did to Muslims in the 12th century either, though.
The Mongols committed similar atrocities in China, but the Khans are venerated as “Chinese” heroes, not evil foreign invaders. It’s an interesting question.
Are Islamic terrorists concerned about the Crusades? I thought their beef was more with the current situation.
While Islamic fundamentalists speak of historical invasions, they do so in reference to what they regard as current invasions. They speak about the Crusades because Western armies are present in Islamic countries now. But while Mongolians did invade Islamic countries in the past, there are no Mongolian troops currently in the Middle East.
Certainly not on a widespread level but at the time Bin Laden was citing the US military presence in Saudi Arabia as one of his reasons for war, almost all of our military had left.
Actually there was a Muslim Mongol in power by 1257 - Berke of the Golden Horde, a brother of founder Batu Khan. He severely criticized Hülegü for the sack of Baghdad and the murder of the Caliph. Eventually he launched a war ( in alliance with the Mamluks of Egypt ) against his cousins during the period of division that broadly saw the Toluid Great Khan and Ilkhans on one side and the Jochids of the Golden Horde and Chagataids ( under Ogedeid dominance for awhile ) on the other.
Though the dispute was probably more familial and resource-driven than religious. In particular the Jochids objected to the establishment of the Toluid Ilkhanate as illegal poaching. The Jochids as the elder line were to received all the conquered lands farthest from the homeland ( hence the Golden Horde in Europe ), while the Toluids as the junior-most acquired said homeland. In particular Azerbaijan with its good grazing was a serious bone of contention.
The Mongols were the originators of the heavy metal umlaut, as many historians have noted.
Goddamn Mongorians in Afghanistan!
I figured this was a big part of why they weren’t as pissed off - they eventually became part of the Muslim Ummah even if their grandfathers had destroyed mosques and murdered imams, although modern Mongolia is surprisingly secular - 38% non religious! Way to go guys. Buddhism also vastly outnumbers Islam over there, and we all know Islamist fanatics are no friends of the Buddhists.
My pet theory is that modern Islamic radicalism, stripped of all the rhetoric, boils down to wounded pride. Their religion teaches that they, and they alone, are in accordance with God; and yet somehow for the past two centuries the West expanded in wealth and power while Islamic countries were reduced to colonial possessions. That the “faithful” should be so eclipsed burns, and the radicals call for a renewed fervency to regain the favor of Allah. Modern Islamic terrorists aren’t inspired so much by ancient history except for the remembrance of the centuries when Islam was either on a par with the west or superior to it. They don’t care about the Mongols because the Mongols aren’t the dominant civilization of the globe today.
I had a fascinating 10 hour Megabus ride talking to a Mongolian lady. She was the wife of her country’s ambassador to Laos. Definitely a different take on Genghis Khan.
THere are not many opportunities to say this, but I think I can safely state that if I were an Islamic Fundamentalist, I wouldn’t be too worried about Mongolia.