Board Thread:Off-topic board/@comment-108.76.119.144-20170305232403/@comment-18014300-20170618163047

SupremeAssassin wrote: Nah, I mean, if you take a look at terrorism today, it's essentially what Templars do in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Now you might wonder how that'd make sense and that perhaps I am grasping at straws but terrorists and AC Templars are not so different. I am of course referring to Islamic terrorists, and if you did the research, in Islam, they indoctrinate young boys and girls to hate nonbelievers. What does this mean? Well, this means everyone who does not adhere to the Islamic faith. Likewise, Templars also "hate" nonbelievers, or in other words, they do not care for those who do not share their goals and their beliefs. Before the foundation of Abstergo Industries, the Templars were nothing more than destructive miscreants who held no respect for the freedom of others. Terrorists, like Templars, believe in some bigger picture, some higher purpose through violence. The Assassins also resort to violence, but their primary goal is to safeguard the freedom of humanity when it is most threatened. I have no doubt that if Assassins as in the AC universe, existed in our modern day and age, they would actively pursue these Islamic extremists and put them down. A terrorist is someone who insights terror, it does not matter the person's ethnicity or religion, and Templars have instigated terror in the series, many times. Ultimately, this is what I mean. It just so happens that our modern day terrorists are all adherents to the Islamic faith, which makes you wonder what's going on. 

I agree that Templars of the series are largely terrorists which is always the greatest irony with those who justify authoritarianism or tyranny with arguments about "order", "peace", and "security", their ends is "order" but their means is "chaos". In contrast, the ends of the Assassins, is peace, sure, and their means "freedom", sure, but it is not chaos, and their methods emphasize precision and moral discipline.

Now, there are those who argue that moderate Templars do not condone terrorism. I think this isn't impossible. Perhaps one can wish for a New World Order under Templar elitist rule but not believe innocent casualties are acceptable for that dream. The problem with Templars isn't that they necessarily, actively endorse terrorism—that's never explicit—but that they quite specifically have no prohibition against it.

However, I disagree that Templars would be Islamic terrorists. Not all terrorists are the same. Just like not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims, not all terrorists are Templars. Villains have different motives. Templars are certainly not religious fanatics, at least not in modern times. The only way I could see ISIL being Templars would be if somehow ISIL were not sincerely for the cause of Islam as they claim and are actually atheists, or if they are being puppeted by the Templars. Both, in a hypothetical scenario where Ubisoft actually dealt with this faction in the series (which would be a bad idea), would be poor writing to me. As much as I'm very pro-Assassin, I don't think that every evil faction in history should be Templars. There should be nuance. ISIL is practically anarchic, to the point that I don't think any Templar would be able to delude themselves that that kind of rampant chaos was for the greater goal of world peace, even if they did so for the French Revolution or World War II.

I guess... if we really want to suppose that Islamic terrorists are Templars, the greater plan would be to try to galvanize a mass mentality towards valuing national security above all, whereby people would more likely turn to authoritarian measures. Xenophobia and fear are harbingers to dictatorships. The threat of Islamic terrorism has helped to drive more people towards the alt-right.

Yes, the Assassins, if they exist in real-life, would oppose the Islamic terrorists and help in the cause against them, but I think I should also add that they definitely would not make any generalizations that Islam at its core indoctrinates its adherents to hate all non-believers (even if that's not what you said). I mean, for one thing, the historical Hassan-i Sabbāh was educated by the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt which professed to religious tolerance and the right to freedom of beliefs. For another thing, they would recognize that the real picture is far, far more complex.

I fear this is getting too political lol.