Question: The Orientalist Silvestre de Sacy —

Explanation: In the readings, Silvestre de Sacy is shown to have advanced speculative Orientalist interpretations that linked hashish to the Nizari Ismailis and to the Assassin myth, while relying on selective, indirect, and often unreliable sources rather than rigorous historical evidence. These claims were later repeated and naturalized in European scholarship, turning conjecture into authoritative knowledge. (Reading: Guba, Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy and the Myth of the Hachichins). Quote: “De Sacy’s arguments rested on conjecture and Orientalist philology rather than firm historical proof.” (Guba, Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy and the Myth of the Hachichins).