Far From Algiers

Hasan ibn al-Sabah

6 H a s a N i B N a l - s a B a H (Lord of the assassins, 11th century) exile is a twofold problem: no one eludes it and mourned land disappears. so while i hoped to complain, i’ve nothing to complain about except the poignant delusion that some of us belong and must be vigilant for those who live among us in disguise. We need the assassins to exonerate what we do, to make it seem less awful. Hasan ibn al-sabah lives in our churches on sunday, in mosques and synagogues. We can’t describe his face because we wear it while we hunt the foreign devils. 7 ...