What is Wahhabism?
It’s an ideology founded by Muhammad ibn Abdal Wahhab, an Islamic theologian from the 18th century.
It emerged under the influence of the decline that was rampant in the Islamic world at the time, along with the rise of anti-Turkish sentiment.
Well, I’ll skip the complicated backstory.
To put it simply, it’s pretty much the root of all evil.
This is the ideological foundation of Islamic extremism.
Groups like ISIL, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Boko Haram, and the Houthi rebels all came into being because of this.
“It’s the number one culprit for ruining the image of Islam.”
The doctrines of Wahhabism can generally be summed up as extreme, closed-off, and filled with hatred.
Rejecting all religions other than Islam is just the beginning—on top of that, they also consider (what they deem) corrupt Islamic factions as enemies to be eradicated.
Despite all that, they obsessively abhor idolatry to a near-pathological degree and reject all forms of media.
Photos, portraits—those are a given.
But even animation and movies are forbidden.
They even ban building snowmen in winter.
Because of that, these bastards destroyed Amina’s tomb.
That’s the grave of Muhammad’s own mother.
They literally smashed the remains of their own prophet’s mother.
“Even the average cult can’t hold a candle to them.”
Add in the enforcement of Sharia (Islamic law), the justification of jihad against infidels, a medieval political worldview, and a hatred of foreign culture.
Just hearing about it is dizzying—it’s full of extreme and overwhelming claims.
But surprisingly, Wahhabism and its followers, the Wahhabi sect, actually have a significant number of supporters.
Precisely because of their violent nature.
“The more unstable a country is, the more extreme ideologies tend to thrive.”
It’s common sense that groups suffering from foreign oppression and threats prefer aggression over moderation.
And the Middle East, where Wahhabism spread widely, has a long history of such suffering.
They were ruled by the Ottoman Turks for centuries and then endured European colonial domination.
So the idea of “driving out heretics and infidels and living faithfully among ourselves” naturally gained support.
“The state of this world is quite similar.”
And in my opinion,That same condition applied to the nomads of the great steppe.
Once they built vast empires and flourished,But now, all their past glory is gone—they’re barely holding on.
Their splendid cities and thriving civilization vanished, and they now wander from place to place just to survive.
If that were the only issue, it might be bearable—but now they face invasions from Artium and Navre.
Their kin are dragged away as slaves, and their precious livestock are taken by foreign hands.
Even those who remain will soon be touched by their claws.
It’s the perfect condition for extremism to spread.
“Mr. Ishmael, I’ve brought the man you requested.”
“Ah, my name is Hassan. Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise, sir. It’s an honor.”
*****
I happened to read a copy of the scripture from the Havos Order, the religion followed by the nomads of this world.
There was quite a bit of useful material in there.
They worship a goddess, much like the Goddess Order.
But the religion—born from a harsh environment—was filled with strictness, aggression, and no hesitation in using force.
With a bit of tweaking, I thought I could shape it into the kind of ideology I wanted.
“So, what would you like me to help with?”
“I’d like you to review some doctrine. The theological basis for these kinds of claims—”
Under the guidance of a specialist, I began mixing Wahhabism’s flavor deeply into the doctrines of the Havos Order.
More hardline, more exclusive, more fanatical.
[There is no god but the Goddess. Priests ordained by the Order are her representatives and the rightful leaders of all believers.]
[Any claim that contradicts the scripture is heresy. Any nation or group that acts against the scripture is heretical and must be purged through holy war.]
[Religion and politics are essentially the same. Monarchs and tribal chiefs must rule according to the scripture, and the people must obey. The scripture is perfect and infallible; therefore, no other laws or ideas are necessary.]
First, I emphasized strict hierarchical obedience.
The religion already had a strong sense of order, but I intensified that further.
Wahhabism rejected the authority of clergy,but I went the opposite route.
On the contrary, I raised the authority of the clergy to the point where believers would even view death as natural if it was commanded by their superiors.
If the nomads were to resist Artium and Navre with their meager strength, absolute unity and control would be essential.
[Holy war is sacred in every sense. Those who die fighting heretics and infidels have offered their lives, bodies, and souls to the goddess, and thus are more deserving than anyone to enjoy paradise by her side.]
[Pursue spiritual fulfillment rather than material pleasure.
The joy of a soft bed and good food is fleeting, but the pride in obeying the divine will and upholding faith is eternal.
Believe in the goddess.
Believe in the scripture.
Be faithful to the teachings of the priests and your own duties.
Do not hesitate to punish those who corrupt the faith.]
[Are you afraid of death? Scared that you may die in vain while fighting? Discard your fear. Though your name may be forgotten, your actions will be immortal. The goddess knows all the deeds you have done.]
Then, I proceeded to rationalize the legitimacy of war.
It was phrased in such a way that anyone who didn’t follow the doctrines of the Havos Order could be crushed without mercy.
“…Isn’t this a bit too extreme?”
“For the people of the steppe, it’s inevitable. In troubled times, we need measures fit for troubled times.”
“That’s true, but still…”
Fight for your homeland and your people.
This is a holy war, so there’s no need to hesitate.
Even if many sacrifices occur in the process, they are noble, so accept them with pride.
Rather than regretting your inaction later, take courage and claim your ticket to paradise.
After presenting such thorough ideological indoctrination and motivational doctrine, what came next?
A proper military strategy.
[Though the Order is the only group with true faith, its power is inferior to that of outsiders.
Compared to infidel nations with hundreds of millions of people, we are but a drop in the ocean.
To overcome this disparity, we must avoid head-on confrontations and instead adopt strictly irregular tactics.]
[Establish a tightly-knit network among believers.
Strike at the enemy’s rear and disrupt their supply lines.
Avoid clashing with their main forces, and focus the war on wearing them down.
Then, when the enemy’s strength is completely exhausted and our forces have gathered, strike back.
Concentrating all forces at the decisive moment and annihilating the enemy is the surest way to secure the greatest result.]
Mao Zedong was a greedy and foolish pig, but his military skills were the real deal.
His expertise in guerrilla warfare was studied in military science even into the 21st century.
As a professor who had studied communism, I had also come across a lot of material in this field.
If I blend his tactics with guerrilla theories from Che Guevara, the Partisans, and the Viet Minh.
I can create strategies that, even if they don’t defeat the enemy outright, will drive them insane and force a retreat.
[Trap the enemy within the vast grasslands. Let them wander lost and collapse on their own. Don’t cling to land or strongholds—just focus on achieving the goals set in each phase.]
[Time is on the side of the Order.
Our enemies are already locked in all-out war with each other and cannot afford to commit many troops and resources to the steppe.
Therefore, if we can just repel the invaders for now, protecting our faith and freedom won’t be difficult.]
And the people I’m helping are nomads.
They’ve trained since childhood in horseback riding and livestock rearing.
Even though the age of nomadic empires is over, in terms of pure riding skills, they are unmatched.
In other words, they’re the best guerrilla fighters—men and women of all ages with full mobility.
“They said Navre has sent 20,000 troops and Artium 15,000, right?”
If their leaders don’t get greedy for pointless gains, I believe they have a real shot at victory.
Even if the nomads are few, they still number in the hundreds of thousands—surely they can defeat a mere 30,000.
According to what Kalia told me, our organization’s leadership is made up of some big names even among the nomads, so they should handle things well.
“It looks like it’s complete now. Thank you for your thorough review and advice, Mr. Hassan.”
“The pleasure is mine. Let’s meet again if we get the chance.”
I gave the finished book a fitting title: A Guide to the Defense of Faith.
In the end, what matters is the content—what it’s called doesn’t really make a difference.
*****
Through the organization’s communication network, we sent the Anarchist Cookbook enclosed with the manual to the prairie, and returned to our usual schedule.
Teaching the students, handling administrative tasks, and in my free time, playfully spending time with Kalia, who has become much gentler lately.
After waking up, I would find myself unknowingly holding the other person in my arms, and this went on for several weeks.
Finally, a reply came from the headquarters.
“Have they already launched a counterattack?”
What on earth did they do?