Jihad against the Mongols (1050-1258); Why Mongols Devastated Islamdom?

islam-watch ^ | 18 Feb 07 | History of Jihad

[PeterPrinciple]

. But the point to note is that the Muslims only understand the language of blood and death, they respect only an adversary more ruthless than themselves, they despise qualities like chivalry, fair play, compassion, and forgiveness. These qualities, are for the Muslims, a signature of an adversary’s weakness and stupidity. We Americans who are the primary foes of the Jihadis today, need to realize what can succeed against the Muslims and use modern day equivalents of mass slaughter like our nuclear and neutron arsenal, to achieve what the blades of Mongol swords achieved in the 13th century.

I agree, the article does have revisionist history but I did like the above.

[Alter Kaker]

I guess you missed mine, posted here intermittently when the Mongols come up. Genghis Khan not only fought back against the jihad, he also established freedom of religion--the Mongols included in their numbers Buddhists (mostly adherents of the Tibetan variety), animists, and Christians (Nestorian, the sort indigenous to Iraq) (One of the lesser hordes that united under Ghengis had had Khans with names like George and John.)--and the largest free-trade zone the world has ever seen (measured by area) dwarfing both NAFTA and the EU.

Empire can be a good thing, agreed. And you're right -- Genghis Khan didn't care about religion, and for the most part, treated all religions with equal contempt.

My problem is with the silly revisionism of this article. The Mongols didn't start their conquests because of Muslim raids, period. That's just made up nonsense.

[gotribe]

Money quote:

All the residents of Baghdad were slaughtered in cold blood. Howsoever, ghastly this act was, with this one act the Mongols repaid all the six hundred years of Muslim bloodshed. Nearly eighty thousand people in all were slaughtered in Baghdad in a matter of two days. Here Hulagu picked a leaf from the tactics of the Muslims and used it against them. Only the Christian community was spared, thanks to the intercession of the Khan’s Christian wife. According to estimates, nearly 8,00,00 (Eight Hundred thousand) Muslims were slaughtered by the Mongols in and around Baghdad.

[Alter Kaker]

. But the point to note is that the Muslims only understand the language of blood and death, they respect only an adversary more ruthless than themselves, they despise qualities like chivalry, fair play, compassion, and forgiveness.

Ok, you're just wrong. I don't know where you're getting this crap. Go read up on Salladin if you don't think that Muslims have a conception of chivalry. You're not going to get anywhere with a silly caricature of 1 billion people.

[Publius6961]

The authors of the website are complete revsionist fruit-loops alarmingly reminiscent of the holocaust deniers.

Just a passing comment.
"Fruit loops" are in the eye of the beholder.

For instance, people who make absolute statements without documentation or even a cursory attempt to legitimize their opinion, in my mind are definitely "fruit loops".

[SevenofNine]

Did certain Brit king named Richard the Lionhearted deal with Salladin at one time by almost slaughter Muslums under his care

[John123]

My problem is with the silly revisionism of this article. The Mongols didn't start their conquests because of Muslim raids, period. That's just made up nonsense.

That is the feeling I had too while reading the article. It was a little too neat and tidy.

Why do you think the Mongols invaded the middle east? Was it because Muslims were disrupting the Mongol trades?

[One_who_hopes_to_know]

The problem is that the the fall of the Khwarezm ...

Actually the problem is that all of humanity is born with a depraved nature which leads to murder and war. This of course has been vanguished by a redeemer that took the shame for this evil nature and paid the price of death, even death on the cross.

[Publius6961]

Islam is a lot more than Saladin. If Saladin is all you know, your continuing contribution of "crap" is not surprising...

[Alter Kaker]

"We Americans who are the primary foes of the Jihadis today, need to realize what can succeed against the Muslims and use modern day equivalents of mass slaughter like our nuclear and neutron arsenal, to achieve what the blades of Mongol swords achieved in the 13th century."

Uh wow... I missed that sentence. And I was just accusing this dolt of bad history -- didn't even get to the GENOCIDE part of the article.

[Cacique]

The great Genghis was also a great political philosopher. His Moto was " You may have what you can take. You may keep what you can hold."

The rule by which all nations really live by in the long run. Except for ones run by liberals who live in La La Land.

[Publius6961]

You're not going to get anywhere with a silly caricature of 1 billion people.

Fortunately, those 1 billion people created that caricature of themselves and continue to do so daily...

Are you suggesting that the mass murderers are all "chivalrous Saladins"?

That is absurd, childish and outrageously presumptuous.

[Ciexyz]

Most interesting.

[Alter Kaker]

Are you suggesting that the mass murderers are all "chivalrous Saladins"?

Maybe reading comprehension isn't your forte.

For those of you not following along at home, I was reacting to PeterPrinciple's asserion that Muslims are incapable of chivalry and other virtues. That's a ridiculous generalization and is, in fact, false.

I'm not sure where you see me apologizing for mass murderers. Maybe you're mixing me up with somoeone else.

[TheLion]

I had a buddy years ago that was so conservative we used to say that he thought Genghis Khan was a liberal....lol

[hellbender]

Here's a fairly obvious flaw in the article:

"the Mongols need not have traversed some four thousand miles from their homeland in Mongolia, to reach Baghdad, they could have as well attacked nearby Japan and Korea which were hardly a few hundred miles from their homeland and were more rich and endowed than Baghdad."

The Mongols eventually DID get around to attacking Japan. However, their fleet was destroyed by a "divine wind," which was the inspiration for the Japanese "kamikaze" strategy against the U.S. in WWII.

The Mongol-Muslim war was a contest of two barbaric plundering empires, much like that of National Socialist Germany vs. the Soviet Union. Incidentally, "tribute," which is the goal of all these empires, is just a synonym for "taxes."

[PzLdr]

The article is wrong, historically, in too many ways to count. But I'll try.

Chinnghis Quan's alliance with Toghrul Quan went a lot farther back than the author claims. Toghrul was ANDA [a blood brother] to Temujin's father Yesugai. Chinnghis [Temujin] sought his aid against the Merkits who stole his primary wife, Bortei [mother of Juchi, Cahgatai, Ogedai and Tului]. Together with Jamuga, they accomplished this feat. Chinnghis, as Toghrul's vassal joined with him at the behest of the chin of North china to destroy the Tartars [who had murdered Yesugai. Subsequent campaigns against his former allies [Toghrul and Jamuga] and others led to Temujin's acclamation as Qa Quan, and Chinnghis Quan. He then conquered Northern [Chin Empire] China. He left Muquli to continue operations in China.

Although there is no dispositive evidence, it does not appear the Mongols intended to attack the Khwaresm Empire, although the Mongols had little tolerance for major military powers on their borders]. It appears Chinnghis Quan hoped to develop trade relations with the Khwaresm Shah. However, the governor of Otrar seized a Mongol caravan, took all the goods and murdered the caravan owners. The same fate befell the ambassador Chinnghis sent to the Khwaresm Shah for redress.

To the Mongols, ambassadors were inviolate. The death of one of Chinnghis' ambassadors was, in and of itself, the casus belli. Nestorian - Moslem animosity had nothing to do with it. Chinnghis worshiped the tengri of the sky. None of his principal wives were Christian.

Nor did the Mongols wait for the Muslims to commit the first atrocity. Psychological terror was an arrow in the Mongol quiver Chinnghis utilized to aid, and preserve his troops [the Mongols attacking Khwaresm were probably outnumbered by over two to one].

As for the 40,000 men sent west, it was closer to 20,000 [under Sabotai and Jebe Noyon], and they were pursuing the fleeing Khwaresm Shah with orders to capture or kill him [ a similar pursuit followed Bela IV of Hungary down the Adriatic coast some twenty years later]. The campaign in the Caucasus, Ukraine and the Crimea was a reconnaissance in force, and the Mongols went back east when summoned by the Qa Quan.

Which brings us to the campaigns of 156-1260.

Hulegu Quan was one of four brothers. His brother Mongke was Qa Quan, the first of the Touluid line to hold that office. Hulegu's second brother was Qublai, who was serving in China, and who would be proclaimed Qa Quan after Mongke's death and a civil war with Hulegu's third brother, Ariq Boga.

The principal target of Hulegu's attack were the Assassins, a radical offshoot of Shia Muslims, and their fortresses in the mountains of northern Iran and other locations. According to some sources, they had made a failed attempt on Mongke's life [although they had previously submitted]. Although Hulegu called on the Caliph of Bagdhad to submit, he did so in the name of the Qu Quan, Mongke, who ordered the campaign while Mongke was heading off to fight in China.

It was the Caliph's rather stupid refusal to submit that led Hulegu to Baghdad, inasmuch as Hulegu may have had well over 100,000 troops, and Baghdad had virtually no defenses. And while it was true that Hulegu's wife was Nestorian, Hulegu was a Buddhist.

Hulegu withdrew from the Holy Land because Mongke had died. Under the Jasagh, and Mongol custom, a Quriltai had to be held among all the princes of the blood and generals to elect a new Qa Quan. Hulegu was also faced with a war over the pasture lands of Azerbaijan against the Golden Horde.

Founded by Batu Quan [eldest son of Juci, Chinnghis' eldest son, who predeceased him], the Golden Horde was ruled by Batu's brother Berke, after the former's death. Berke had even contributed, on order of Mongke, troops to Hulegu's army. HOWEVER, Berke had already converted to Islam, and had taken a great part of the golden Horde with him. He was incensed at the execution of the Abbasid Caliph. That plus Azerbaijan, triggered the border war.

The Mamelukes in Egypt played up the fellow monotheist card in keeping the Crusaders from allying with the Mongols, despite the best efforts of Mongol vassals, such as Hattan of Armenia. They not only achieved that end, but persuaded the Christians to give them safe passage, water and supplies in their campaigns against the Mongols. They then turned on the Crusaders.

The Mongol campaigns against the Muslims were the result of policy decisions, not religious animosity. Muslims within the Mongol Empire, like practitioners of all religions, were allowed to practice their religion freely. Religious property was not taxed. Religious ministers were exempt from military service.

The author is correct in one surmise, however. The Mongol storm that broke over the Islamic world in 1256 was the closest Islam ever came to destruction.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Dear Mr. 7...
I've seen many of your posts on FR, and not a single one of them is intelligible. Perhaps you should consider enrolling in a refresher ESL course.

Respectfully,
POF

[JerseyHighlander]

The entire excerpt is total unmitigated rubbish.

Posting this on FR is like a mouse walking into a lion's mouth. The amateur historians here are going to relish taunting you.

What a waste of FR's bandwidth.

[Dan(9698)]

You're not going to get anywhere with a silly caricature of 1 billion people.

Since there 1.5 billion Muslims, that leaves 500 million that are Jehadis.

(I think that is about right. I agree with you.)