The Hashashin (Assassins): Muslim Sect That Perfected Political Murder | Origins of the Word 'Assassin THE HASHASHIN: THEY PERFECTED POLITICAL ASSASSINATION AND GAVE US THE WORD "ASSASSIN" 1090 AD. Persia. A small Muslim sect called the Nizari Ismailis faced a problem. They were surrounded by enemies—Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, rival Muslim powers. They couldn't win conventional wars. So they invented something new. The Strategy Led by Hassan-i Sabbah—called the "Old Man of the Mountain"—they seize