Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006, Page 26
Although Zarqawi is often alleged to be associated with al Qaeda, even appointed the
director of the Al Qaeda organization in Iraq, some independent experts believe that in fact
he is not connected to al Qaeda, that his group is autonomous and a rival of Bin Laden.
Reports about him differed. He had or had not one leg. He had or had not been arrested. A
photograph circulated by BBC News in 2004 did not resemble a picture published in a United
Arab Emirates daily newspaper in the spring of 2005.
I found no evidence that firmly justifies or repudiates the designation "charismatic cult
leader."
GPA of Iraqi Insurgents
Please look at Exhibit B2. Compliance =3.4 Exploitation =4.1 Mind Control =4.1
Dependency =3.3 Total GPA =3.8 (Can not say items =46%).
Bearing in mind that my knowledge of the Insurgents is limited, mixed and contradictory,
that I was unable to rate almost half the GPA item scales, I scored these terrorists, like their
predecessors in Iraq, as most characteristic of a psychologically abusive group in respect to
Exploitation and Mind Control.
Exhibit B2
Dole’s Ratings on GPA Subscales for Iraqi Insurgents
Psy Abuse
Rating
Complia
nce
Exploita
tion
Mind
Control
Depend
ency
5 very
characteristic
4.1 4.1
4
characteristic
3.4 3.3
3 can‘t say
2 not
characteristic
1 not at all
characteristic
Al Qaeda
After the suicide bombings of the Twin Towers, available evidence (Dole, 2002) suggested
that al Qaeda was a killer cult and that Osama bin Laden was its charismatic leader.
Wahabism (On Islam and its relation to Wahabism see especially Armstrong, 2000 Carr,
2002 Coll, 2004 Esposito, 2002 and Gregorian, 2003) originated in the Middle East as a
fundamentalist Islamic sect. Islamic teachings were twisted by extremist imams to glorify
suicide and the killing of infidels as the path to paradise. Holy war, or jihad, demands the
destruction of Christians, Jews, Crusaders, and atheists. When the Russians set up a
communist regime in Afghanistan, a coalition of warlords and dedicated Muslims, covertly
supported by the United States, eventually forced them to withdraw.
Osama bin Laden, a wealthy, educated Saudi Arabian industrialist, who had provided
funding and leadership during the war, became a hero. In an insecure world torn by
economic and political conflicts, he had a special appeal for educated youth with limited
prospects. He returned to Afghanistan (See especially Coll, 2004 for his relations with the

Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006, Page 27
CIA). In collaboration with the Taliban theocracy, he set up training camps, where recruits
from around the Muslim world learned Al Qaeda doctrine as well as the use of guns and
explosives. They formed autonomous small cells in Europe, Asia, and the United States that
were supported by a covert Muslim financial network. In 1997 bin Laden declared war on
the United States. Among his objectives were removal of U. S. bases in Saudi Arabia and
withdrawal of support for Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.
Since the defeat of the Taliban, Osama and the Al Qaeda leadership have disappeared. The
9/11 commission (9/11 Report, 2004) concluded that Al Qaeda had no connection with the
secular Baathists of Saddam Hussein. As we have noted, the extent of participation of Al
Qaeda in Iraq and even in Madrid may or may not be exaggerated. Although experts like
Bergen (2001) believe that the group may now be severely weakened, video tapes of
Osama appear from time to time that encourage the faithful. According to Steven Coll
(2004), Osama is the intellectual, the theorist, versed both in theology and politics he is
the public relations specialist for the group as well as its charismatic leader.
GPA of Al Qaeda
Please look at Exhibit B3. Compliance =4.6 Exploitation =4.1 Mind Control =4.6
Dependency =4.1 Total =4.4 (Cannot say 3 =11%).
When I apply whatever information is available to me in rating Al Qaeda on the GPA items,
across the board it is characteristic of a group that uses psychological abuse. In particular,
its high scores on Compliance and Mind Control fit with the impression that absolute
obedience to Allah is more important than material gain. There is no scale on the GPA that
characterizes a group on Violence (e.g. "aggressively kills outsiders in substantial
numbers"). Such a scale would help to justify classifying Al Qaeda as a killer cult.
Exhibit B3
Dole’s Ratings on GPA Subscales for Afghan Al Qaeda
Psy Abuse
Rating
Complia
nce
Exploita
tion
Mind
Control
Dependen
cy
5 very
characteristic
4.6 4.6
4.1 4.1
4
characteristic
3 can‘t say
2 not
characteristic
1 not at all
characteristic