Ashirra
Introduction
The Ashirra, from the Arabic word for brethren, is the sect under which Islamic vampires declare their faith in Allah, and which rules over Arabia and North Africa, beginning in the Dark Ages. Members of the Ashirra believe that redemption for the Kindred was among the promises Muhammad made if they chose to follow Allah. While some vampires are true followers of Islam (most notably the Bay't Mutasharid), the vast majority of Kindred involved in the Ashirra follow Islam because it is convenient for them or to make it easier to operate in the Middle East. Like the Camarilla or Sabbat, the Ashirra is prone to power plays and political maneuvering.
In some instances, Ashirra can be used to refer to any vampire who follows Islam.
History
The Ashirra were founded in the earliest days of Islam. In 622 CE, an Arabian Lasombra named Suleiman ibn Abdullah converted to Islam and took up the task of defending the faith and spreading it to fellow Cainites. Within a few years several other converts spread the faith across the Arabian peninsula and beyond. By 632, the core tenets of the sect had taken shape and the Ashirra established themselves as a major power in the Islamic world. At their height, they stretched across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, conflicting with Frankish Cainites during the Crusades and the Reconquista, and with Mongol Cainites during their invasion of Persia and Central Asia.
It is never mentioned what led to the decline of the Ashirra. The sect spread into Asia with Muslim traders, establishing themselves on the Indian subcontinent and the Malay archipelago as far east as Mindinao despite opposition from both local Hindu Cainites and the Wan Kuei. They even managed to establish Sultans in Mumbai, Delhi and Lahore. As late as the 19th century, the Ashirra were still vying for influence in Egypt, the Holy Land and the steadily declining Ottoman Empire. By the modern era, their influence is greatly reduced and the Ashirra have entered a truce with the Camarilla to preserve what power they have left.
The sect is strongest in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan, though it has some influence in Egypt as well.
Luminaries
- -- Suleiman ibn Abdullah -- Mullah of the Ashirra
