Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006, Page 72
8. Those who remain and continue with the process of commitment building, whether
they do so because of a manipulative environment, a good fit between the member‘s
needs and the group, or both, become acculturated to the group. Although attrition
might still occur for a variety of reasons, the rate of attrition among committed
members decreases substantially.
9. Some members may be subjected to the intense commitment-building process of
brainwashing if the leader decides that the benefits of producing members who are
deployable agents outweigh the costs of implementing a brainwashing program.
10. Some from among the group of deployable agents may be selected and further
indoctrinated and/or trained to ensure that they will commit violent acts at the
behest of the leader, should the leader deem such acts desirable.
11. Some members‘ pre-existing belief systems and psychological needs may so mesh
with the leader‘s violent goals that they might do his bidding without having to go
through the intense indoctrination process of brainwashing, although this process
might enhance their loyalty to the group.
How can a cultic studies perspective contribute to attempts to counter violent
Jihadism?
Other surveys have found lower favorability ratings (ABC News Poll, 2006, September 5–7
CBS News Poll, 2006, April 6–9) for all religions, not just Islam. These discrepant findings
could be due to methodological issues, such as giving respondents an ―unsure‖ option.
The Pew survey‘s results for the following questions, however, were disturbing: ―Do you
think that the terrorist attacks over the past few years are a part of a major conflict
between the people of America and Europe versus the people of Islam, or is it only a conflict
with a small, radical group? Do you think this conflict is going to grow into a major world
conflict, or do you think it will remain limited to a small, radical group?‖ Twenty-nine
percent saw it as a major conflict, and another 26 percent from among the 60 percent who
saw it as a limited conflict believe that it will grow into a major conflict. Hence, according to
this survey, 55 percent of the U.S. population expects the current conflict with Jihadists to
turn into a violent clash of civilizations. Given the common human tendency toward
confirmatory bias (Baron, 1992), these findings are troubling because they suggest that one
or two major terrorist attacks in the United States could substantially strengthen the belief
that we are heading toward a violent clash of civilizations, when in reality we are not. Other
survey data suggest that the violence of Jihadists has only a limited appeal among the
Muslim masses and may have significant appeal within only a small number of Muslim
nations.
A survey of 1,276 Muslims attending Friday service at 12 mosques (out of 33) in Detroit
(Bagby, 2004) reported the following findings relevant to this discussion:
―‗Mosqued‘ Muslims constitute one-third of all Muslims (a percentage similar to that of
church-going Christians (Csillag, 2005, January), which perhaps indicates that most
American Muslims are relatively integrated into American culture).
Mosque participants in the study came from 42 countries.
Almost two-thirds of mosque participants are first-generation immigrants. (This suggests
that Muslim assimilation to the secular culture is following trends of other immigrant
groups.)
The average mosque participant is 34 years old, married with children, has at least a
bachelor‘s degree, and makes about $75,000 annually.
8. Those who remain and continue with the process of commitment building, whether
they do so because of a manipulative environment, a good fit between the member‘s
needs and the group, or both, become acculturated to the group. Although attrition
might still occur for a variety of reasons, the rate of attrition among committed
members decreases substantially.
9. Some members may be subjected to the intense commitment-building process of
brainwashing if the leader decides that the benefits of producing members who are
deployable agents outweigh the costs of implementing a brainwashing program.
10. Some from among the group of deployable agents may be selected and further
indoctrinated and/or trained to ensure that they will commit violent acts at the
behest of the leader, should the leader deem such acts desirable.
11. Some members‘ pre-existing belief systems and psychological needs may so mesh
with the leader‘s violent goals that they might do his bidding without having to go
through the intense indoctrination process of brainwashing, although this process
might enhance their loyalty to the group.
How can a cultic studies perspective contribute to attempts to counter violent
Jihadism?
Other surveys have found lower favorability ratings (ABC News Poll, 2006, September 5–7
CBS News Poll, 2006, April 6–9) for all religions, not just Islam. These discrepant findings
could be due to methodological issues, such as giving respondents an ―unsure‖ option.
The Pew survey‘s results for the following questions, however, were disturbing: ―Do you
think that the terrorist attacks over the past few years are a part of a major conflict
between the people of America and Europe versus the people of Islam, or is it only a conflict
with a small, radical group? Do you think this conflict is going to grow into a major world
conflict, or do you think it will remain limited to a small, radical group?‖ Twenty-nine
percent saw it as a major conflict, and another 26 percent from among the 60 percent who
saw it as a limited conflict believe that it will grow into a major conflict. Hence, according to
this survey, 55 percent of the U.S. population expects the current conflict with Jihadists to
turn into a violent clash of civilizations. Given the common human tendency toward
confirmatory bias (Baron, 1992), these findings are troubling because they suggest that one
or two major terrorist attacks in the United States could substantially strengthen the belief
that we are heading toward a violent clash of civilizations, when in reality we are not. Other
survey data suggest that the violence of Jihadists has only a limited appeal among the
Muslim masses and may have significant appeal within only a small number of Muslim
nations.
A survey of 1,276 Muslims attending Friday service at 12 mosques (out of 33) in Detroit
(Bagby, 2004) reported the following findings relevant to this discussion:
―‗Mosqued‘ Muslims constitute one-third of all Muslims (a percentage similar to that of
church-going Christians (Csillag, 2005, January), which perhaps indicates that most
American Muslims are relatively integrated into American culture).
Mosque participants in the study came from 42 countries.
Almost two-thirds of mosque participants are first-generation immigrants. (This suggests
that Muslim assimilation to the secular culture is following trends of other immigrant
groups.)
The average mosque participant is 34 years old, married with children, has at least a
bachelor‘s degree, and makes about $75,000 annually.
