34. The Mad Caliph Overcompensates (Part 2)
Caliph Al-Hakim wanted to demonstrate that being born to a Christian mother did not make him a soft Muslim. So he departed from the tolerance hitherto displayed by Muslim rulers to Christians and Jews. He went on a religious persecution bender, destroying synagogues and churches. This included the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem; it housed the cave where Jesus is thought to have lain before his resurrection. The Mad Caliph also banned pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He added to that by ordering Christians and Jews to wear distinguishing clothing to identify them. Jews suffered further humiliation by being required to wear bells. Al-Hakim made sure of this so they could be identified by sound as well as sight.
Al Hakim’s weirdness went beyond his religious persecutions. It included what must be one of history’s most bizarre consumer protection practices, ever. The Mad Caliph reportedly used to walk through the markets of Cairo, looking for deceptive merchants. All while accompanied by a giant African slave named Masoud. Whenever he came across a merchant cheating his customers, Al-Hakim would order Masoud to sodomize the crook publicly. Right then and there. To this day, people in Cairo threaten to “bring Masoud” when dealing with a merchant whom they suspect of trying to cheat them.
