Afkaschein Gos Dzihad (ˈafkaʂ:aiˑn ˈɠos ˈd͡ʑihad)
Yes, this is a Dune reference.
"There's stranger things out there than just a democratically elected monarch. Did you know that there's a full-blown jihad going on in the outer rim?" "A jihad? Like, a crusade? A religious conquest? In this day and age?" "Yes. Strange, I know. I was just a shocked as you are now when I learned about it."A jihad, a goddamn religious crusade, going on in the outer rim, originating from Afkaschein, some 340 lightyears from Earth. Has currently been in swing for a decade or so. Is extremely violent and aggressive. Not a cohesive organization, but more like a general movement. The name translates, roughly, to "Crusade for Afkaschein".
Structure
Nothing, really. The original crusade was begun by someone known to the people of Afkaschein only as "Kesingeb Sudomil" translating to "Divine Instrument". This prophet unified the moon, Afkaschein, and promptly vanished. Since then, the crusade has been split into several different sub-crusades, each headed by various different authorities, working independently to spread their faith. The prophet was, in truth, an ex-Admiral-Captain of Cellea, formerly known as Kerteros Aliret, but know as Mariah Sincawa.
Demography and Population
Currently there exist around 13 billion followers of the religion, spread in 35 star systems. The entire local area is very religious, and those religions have all been born from the same base, allowing this crusade to gain traction here fast. Current kill count numbers somewhere near 3.4 billion.
Divine Origins
Ostensibly a descendant of islam, with major influences of catholicism. Originally, the religion developed from the intermingling of followers of both religions on some colony in the outer rim, like so many others.
But then, as with so many more others, the Cellean autocratic space arrived. As with their other subjects, the Cellean empire governed the various states and cultures on the planet with an iron grip. This then lead to a burning hatred of the Cellean regime.
Eventually, half a century or so later, the nations of the planet broke free and deposed the local Cellean administrations, a story repeated on oh so many planets. at one point, a subsect of the religion was ousted off of the planet and exiled due to being too violent and extreme. They then went to settle Afkaschein, a moon of a gas giant.
During the unification of Afkaschein under the Kesingeb Sudomil, the planet experienced massive destruction, annihilating nearly every major settlement and desolating the surface even more than it already was. This, again, led to the cult becoming even more violent and brutal. It was at this time that their sacred prophet vanished, likely dead in the cataclysms of the war. Soon after, fervent believers began to migrate to other colonies en masse, mostly violently. This marked the beginning of the Afkaschein Gos Dzihad.
Tenets of Faith
The main point of the faith is a sense of having been wronged by the world. With this, the followers espouse vengeance against the larger world. Usually they also promote this via violent means. The second highest priority of the followers is to spread the faith.
Priesthood
The religion is not a unified community, it is more akin to a wave. One that spreads across the galaxy in a wave of murder and violence, capable of overturning empires and entire civilizations. That is, if it gets that momentum. Thus far, it hasn't. Probably never will.
Yes, this is indeed a Dune reference, how could you tell?
There are prophets and preachers out there, but none are governed by any central entity. All they really have in common is their faith.
Wrath of Afkaschein guide me!
Founding Date
2862
Type
Religious, Sect
Alternative Names
Afkascheinian Jihad, discount Muad'dib's Jihad
Training Level
Semi-trained
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Afkascheinian
Divines
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments
Author's Notes
So, yes, again, this is a reference to Frank Herbert's Dune. I just read it this month, and felt like including something inspired by it into my world. Doesn't really mean anything in the story, but I wanted to write something. Besides, who cares, anyway?