Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 72
approval, and a psychological process of positive reinforcement with artificial decisive
points—is critical for the accomplishment of the mission (Vedantam, 2001, A16).
Al Qaeda has had no compunction about killing fellow Muslims, or about placing Muslims
into suicide attacks without their knowledge. Thus, the group not only has had to justify the
murder of innocents, but the murder of those believers who have supported the movement.
Bin Laden has explained:
The Islamic Shariah says Muslims should not live in the country of infidels for
long. The targets of 11 September were not children and women. The main
targets were the two icons of the United States, its economic and military
might. (Mir, 2001)
While the civilian population tends to think of suicidal attacks as terrorist related, many
militaries have used similar units when facing more powerful foes. Countries that have had,
or currently have, suicide units include North Korea, Iraq, Iran, the Soviet Union, and
Imperial Japan in World War II. The modern Islamic suicide bomber is a direct descendent
of the Iranians who acted as human mine-clearing devices during the Iran-Iraq War (Child
Soldiers Global Report, 2001). Many military operations throughout history were executed
with little hope for the survival of its participants. Moreover, al Qaeda should not be
confused with a suicide cult. While martyrdom is lauded, Al Qaeda does not appear to
demand the death of its members. The attacks upon the United States, to be successful,
simply required the death of the participants. No more were sacrificed than necessary to
achieve the military objective.
The Cult and the Terrorist Group: Differences and Similarities
Al Qaeda is a representative terrorist group, different only in its size and global reach. It has
many attributes of a political or ethnic terrorist movement, as well as those of a religious
movement however, it also has some attributes of a religious cult.
Like a cult, al Qaeda sees the world in a cosmic struggle between good and evil. It is
possible that bin Laden sought the final confrontation—Armageddon—by conducting a
terrorist operation so horrific and inhuman that he believed the United States would
retaliate massively, thus rallying the Muslim world around him in sympathy. Alternatively,
he may have thought the attack so audacious that it would cause the United States to
retreat toward isolationism, thus securing him a free hand against the apostate
governments in the region. In either case, his reasoning is not dissimilar to the Aum cult, or
any apocalyptic cult (Pearson, 2001).
Other cult-like attributes include recruitment among the young and disaffected deception in
(some) recruitment in-group morality and the depersonalization of outsiders the isolation
and training of members to be holy warriors, and the claim that all answers are in a single
source or society. Although these are powerful components, similar attributes are found in
many groups to varying degrees, even in elite organizations and associations.
Al Qaeda—and terrorist groups in general—differ from most cults in several ways. Terrorist
groups typically represent an exaggerated version of a political or religious viewpoint within
the community. Thus, unlike a cult, the terrorist group must depend upon a broad
substructure of supporters (Juergensmeyer, 2000, 11). Al Qaeda got funding from rich
Saudis and ―charitable organizations,‖ and moral support from Muslims who accepted the
theory that outside forces are the cause of their society‘s chaos (Patterns of Global
Terrorism, 2000).
And although terrorist groups might have an inspirational leader, he is typically not
considered divine or possessing special powers. Bin Laden expressed Islamist doctrine and
provided a clear vision of a better world through violence. While Usama took upon himself
approval, and a psychological process of positive reinforcement with artificial decisive
points—is critical for the accomplishment of the mission (Vedantam, 2001, A16).
Al Qaeda has had no compunction about killing fellow Muslims, or about placing Muslims
into suicide attacks without their knowledge. Thus, the group not only has had to justify the
murder of innocents, but the murder of those believers who have supported the movement.
Bin Laden has explained:
The Islamic Shariah says Muslims should not live in the country of infidels for
long. The targets of 11 September were not children and women. The main
targets were the two icons of the United States, its economic and military
might. (Mir, 2001)
While the civilian population tends to think of suicidal attacks as terrorist related, many
militaries have used similar units when facing more powerful foes. Countries that have had,
or currently have, suicide units include North Korea, Iraq, Iran, the Soviet Union, and
Imperial Japan in World War II. The modern Islamic suicide bomber is a direct descendent
of the Iranians who acted as human mine-clearing devices during the Iran-Iraq War (Child
Soldiers Global Report, 2001). Many military operations throughout history were executed
with little hope for the survival of its participants. Moreover, al Qaeda should not be
confused with a suicide cult. While martyrdom is lauded, Al Qaeda does not appear to
demand the death of its members. The attacks upon the United States, to be successful,
simply required the death of the participants. No more were sacrificed than necessary to
achieve the military objective.
The Cult and the Terrorist Group: Differences and Similarities
Al Qaeda is a representative terrorist group, different only in its size and global reach. It has
many attributes of a political or ethnic terrorist movement, as well as those of a religious
movement however, it also has some attributes of a religious cult.
Like a cult, al Qaeda sees the world in a cosmic struggle between good and evil. It is
possible that bin Laden sought the final confrontation—Armageddon—by conducting a
terrorist operation so horrific and inhuman that he believed the United States would
retaliate massively, thus rallying the Muslim world around him in sympathy. Alternatively,
he may have thought the attack so audacious that it would cause the United States to
retreat toward isolationism, thus securing him a free hand against the apostate
governments in the region. In either case, his reasoning is not dissimilar to the Aum cult, or
any apocalyptic cult (Pearson, 2001).
Other cult-like attributes include recruitment among the young and disaffected deception in
(some) recruitment in-group morality and the depersonalization of outsiders the isolation
and training of members to be holy warriors, and the claim that all answers are in a single
source or society. Although these are powerful components, similar attributes are found in
many groups to varying degrees, even in elite organizations and associations.
Al Qaeda—and terrorist groups in general—differ from most cults in several ways. Terrorist
groups typically represent an exaggerated version of a political or religious viewpoint within
the community. Thus, unlike a cult, the terrorist group must depend upon a broad
substructure of supporters (Juergensmeyer, 2000, 11). Al Qaeda got funding from rich
Saudis and ―charitable organizations,‖ and moral support from Muslims who accepted the
theory that outside forces are the cause of their society‘s chaos (Patterns of Global
Terrorism, 2000).
And although terrorist groups might have an inspirational leader, he is typically not
considered divine or possessing special powers. Bin Laden expressed Islamist doctrine and
provided a clear vision of a better world through violence. While Usama took upon himself
