THE Islamic State is not a real Caliphate. It has a priest-king. It has large chunks of the holy land. But are its blessed warriors destined to become eunuchs? According to two academics writing for university discussion site The Conversation, if the Islamic State (IS) really does hope to restore a medieval-style Caliphate, eunuchs are a vital — but missing — ingredient. Of jihadists, Caliphs and ... eunuchs They were seen to be the ultimate in loyal, incorruptible public servants and personal guards. It was important that they be eunuchs as a huge number of women were kept in a Caliph’s palace as a demonstration of his dominance. OF KNIGHTS AND CALIPHS: Understanding the ‘New Caliphate’ “All previous caliphates relied on a special class of bureaucrats to provide stability and statesmanship,” professors Thomas Johnson and Richard Wassersug write. “Those were eunuchs, who were unable to impregnate the women sequestered in the palace. Eunuchs were without family and dependent upon the caliph for support.” As an example, The Conversation article lists the staff of the Caliph al-Mqtadi whose reign ended in 932AD. His palace-capital housed 4000 women, 7000 eunuch “elite” guards and labourers, as well as 4000 eunuch bureaucrats. Only the Caliph and his closest male relatives had intact testicles, the article states. Gilt cage ... The Eunuchs courtyard in the harem section of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. Only eunuch’s could be trusted with the Caliph’s thousands of “wives”. Source: News Corp Source: News Limited “Granted IS is already acquiring women, but it has no-one to guard them for the caliph and no infertile functionaries to enact the authority of the state,” the professors write. It’s an ancient idea that may well prove incompatible with modern jihadists. In recent years some 15,000 foreign recruits have flooded into Syria and Iraq to support the holy war. But becoming a eunuch may prove to become one sacrifice too far. Cruel cut? ISIS warriors may have to give up their manlihood in order to demonstrate their loyalty to Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Picture: Islamic State media Source: Supplied Even if the self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have unspoken plans to give his most loyal warriors “the snip” once his conquest is complete, he may have problems elsewhere. “A true state needs a central place to which taxes are paid and from which laws, regulations and other administrative functions descend,” the academics write. The current incarnation of the Islamic State is more of a “marauding horde than a functioning state”. While the jihadist group has a slicker propaganda and publicity team than most first-world nations, the professors say there is no sign of IS showing government policies beyond “killing men, capturing women and grabbing booty as they go”. While the city of Raqqah may well have been the unofficial capital of IS, it was also the first target struck when the United States and its allies resolved to strike the jihadists in Syria. Any new capital would continue to be a target. A state without a capital will find it hard to raise taxes, pass judgments and enforce the law. Which may explain the current lack of eunuchs. “Simply stated, if the IS doesn’t build a deeply fortified city and start producing eunuch bureaucrats, it will never have the stability and endurance of historic caliphates,” the article reads. “The best it can hope for is to be recognised as a 21st-century predatory horde.”
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 11:14:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015