Jessafox's Blog

The Great Game was a term used to describe the battle between Britain and Russia over claim of central Asia.

Several explorers traversed the land making vital discoveries along the way. The first explorer was Przhevalsky whose expedition was financed by the Russian War Department. He wanted to map the Ordos plateau, explore Southern Mongolia, locate the source of the Yellow River and eventually reach Lhasa. Unfortunately, he failed to reach Lhasa countless times but he did discover animal and botanical specimen that were very important. His successor, Kozlov, collected masses of documents from Dunhuang and the ancient capital of Kharakhoto.

In later years Sven Hedin, surveyed and mapped the region while also collecting antiquities along the way. Coming from Berlin University, he was a very good explorer and accomplished many things, the most important being the discovery of the lost city of Loulan.

It seems that the vast majority of explorers who travelled the Silk Road fell in love with it and, although it was dangerous and often threatened to swallow them whole, they remained steadfast and determined. Essentially, they were driven by the ‘game’ that was developing among them. They always wanted to learn more than the explorers that came before them and discover more than anyone had discovered before. Perhaps this is what drove them to return to the desert numerous times.  Perhaps to achieve something that hadn’t been achieved before. It was almost as if their failures did not discourage them but rather, motivated them to continue in their quest. Clearly, they were very determined to, first and foremost, make a discovery, and second, make a name for themselves. If they could help their country gain access to central Asia through their discoveries, then their names would be remembered and respected forever, while their story would live on. 

However, one is forced to wonder if the game had somehow changed with every explorer that attempted it. Was the objective to claim central Asia before another country did? Or, had it become a battle between nature and human endurance/ stamina? Did the battle eventually become a personal one?

In a post 9/11 world, I feel that Westerners have become almost paranoid. Not that the paranoia is not justified, but only to a certain extent. I can understand that you can never be too careful when it comes to national security but to go as far as stating that all Muslims are terrorists is insane and incorrect. Yes, a few individuals made a decision that led to severe consequences worldwide, but that doesn’t make it right to proceed with racial profiling, which is essentially, what is going on.

It’s almost as if there is a giant dividing line down the center of the earth, separating the West from the Middle East; ‘us’ versus ‘them’; safe from danger; good against evil. Clearly, the events of 9/11 have permanently changed our perception of Islam, causing us to view everyone as a potential threat to our Western way of life. We are always on high alert, but as diligent as we try to be, someone or something always appear to ‘slip’ passed our watchful eye.

Why? Our perceived enemies don’t fall into any particular category. They don’t have certain distinguishing features. They can be anyone. This was made clear in December 2009, when an individual carried explosives onto and American airline. Did he match the description of our perceived enemy? No.

To classify all Muslims as terrorists, or all terrorists as Muslim and target them as our only threat hasn’t seemed to diminish any attempted acts of terrorism. It has only appeared to alienate innocent individuals and cause growing resentment between Muslims and non-Muslims. If our main goal is to stop these senseless acts of violence, shouldn’t we be working towards a greater understanding of each other’s differences and closing that gap, instead of increasing the animosity and hostility?

Islam had been spreading through domains but it was through their example of mystics, preachers and traders that it finally reached China. In China their already existed Zorastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity and they coexisted rather well. The Arab attempts to conquer the region took well over a century. Eventually, the region began to accept the Persian culture and people began to learn Arabic. They did not fully accept the religion but developed an orthodoxy of it.

It is important to understand that Islam spread through persuasion and enticement instead of war and propaganda. Because it was able to remould the culture of the people, it was a successful religion in that it spread easily throughout the lands with little fuss. Once it was developed in Asia, the mystical piety that was established was very enthusiastic and was expressed in music, poetry and dance.

It seems to me that Islam was a fairly peaceful religion, wanting to be accepted and determined on being accepted, but doing so in a way that was not coercive. They wanted to be freely adopted by the people, almost convincing them that it was their choice. This, clearly, was very important to their acceptance and their ability to survive throughout the ages.