Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2009, Page 38
realize that phobia and isolation have a resonant effect on each other: An increase in one
will intensify the other in turn, that strengthening will increase the first one. Isolation and
phobia are keys to what Lifton calls milieu control, and I believe that, besides having a
charismatic leader, milieu control of members is the key to having a cult, or to changing a
group into an extreme cult.
What Can Be Done?
Whenever we face terrorism, immediately we face two questions: First, Why—why do
people join terrorist organizations? My answer is simple: injustice. Find the root of injustice
and destroy it, and you have destroyed that which fuels the ideology of terrorism. But
unfortunately, I think as long as we have not attained a perfect world, there always will be
some sort of injustice present in different parts of the world. It will be impossible to dry out
the roots of injustice and, hence, the roots of some sort of terrorism. Therefore, the second
question is: What can be done against terrorism?
Until now, Western governments‘ policies, especially US and UK policies toward Al-Qaeda,
have centered around either:
1. Violence against violence. Examples are in Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As a
result, not only has Al-Qaeda not diminished but instead has flourished. The group
proclaims that its struggle has changed from offensive to defensive, in this way
hoping to be acceptable to many Muslims.35
2. Compromising liberal values such as ―freedom of speech‖ or ―presumed innocent
till proven guilty,‖ and ―not committing torture.‖ Recent laws in the US and the UK
against terrorism, such as the Patriot Act and the Terrorism Act 2006, which
includes a section against the ―glorification of terrorism,‖ are examples. The Abu-
Ghoraib and Guantanamo Bay disasters are symbols of these policies. Others
include creating more hate and phobia among young Muslims living in Europe and
the US, forcing them into even more mental isolation.
Breaking the Spell of Isolation and Phobia
If isolation and phobia are key to a cult‘s success in keeping its members and recruits
within, surely breaking the power of these factors is the key to saving these individuals from
destroying themselves and damaging others. I understand that doing this is not as easy as
saying it. To solve this problem, I think we must separate short-term solutions of the
problem from long-term solutions. Facing an immediate and real threat against civilians
might force us to use an iron fist. But we have to be aware that this approach is not part of
an enduring solution moreover, on many occasions, it acts against the solution to the
problem, as it did in the case of MEK during the 1980s in Iran, when the Iranian
government wanted to solve the problem with an iron fist. The result then was to push us
supporters even deeper into the organization and to give MEK‘s leaders even more
ammunition with which to continue the work of its propaganda machine.
Also, we have to realize that when we arrest terrorists, we are not dealing with common
criminals! Do you remember the case of Patty Hearst?36 We are dealing with brainwashed
people, and we have to help them rather than punish them. How can we punish people who
are welcoming death and pain?
Let me give you two examples: (1) The case of Khalid Shikh Mohammad, who pled guilty in
order to be executed by the United States and become a martyr. Now what do you want to
do with him? If you accept his confession, you have to accept that he is guilty for 9/11 and
kill him, making him a martyr—the best prize that you can give to him and Al-Qaeda. If you
do not consider him guilty, what was the purpose of his trial in the first place? (2) The case
of an MEK member. He was under 18 when he was arrested during an armed struggle. The
realize that phobia and isolation have a resonant effect on each other: An increase in one
will intensify the other in turn, that strengthening will increase the first one. Isolation and
phobia are keys to what Lifton calls milieu control, and I believe that, besides having a
charismatic leader, milieu control of members is the key to having a cult, or to changing a
group into an extreme cult.
What Can Be Done?
Whenever we face terrorism, immediately we face two questions: First, Why—why do
people join terrorist organizations? My answer is simple: injustice. Find the root of injustice
and destroy it, and you have destroyed that which fuels the ideology of terrorism. But
unfortunately, I think as long as we have not attained a perfect world, there always will be
some sort of injustice present in different parts of the world. It will be impossible to dry out
the roots of injustice and, hence, the roots of some sort of terrorism. Therefore, the second
question is: What can be done against terrorism?
Until now, Western governments‘ policies, especially US and UK policies toward Al-Qaeda,
have centered around either:
1. Violence against violence. Examples are in Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As a
result, not only has Al-Qaeda not diminished but instead has flourished. The group
proclaims that its struggle has changed from offensive to defensive, in this way
hoping to be acceptable to many Muslims.35
2. Compromising liberal values such as ―freedom of speech‖ or ―presumed innocent
till proven guilty,‖ and ―not committing torture.‖ Recent laws in the US and the UK
against terrorism, such as the Patriot Act and the Terrorism Act 2006, which
includes a section against the ―glorification of terrorism,‖ are examples. The Abu-
Ghoraib and Guantanamo Bay disasters are symbols of these policies. Others
include creating more hate and phobia among young Muslims living in Europe and
the US, forcing them into even more mental isolation.
Breaking the Spell of Isolation and Phobia
If isolation and phobia are key to a cult‘s success in keeping its members and recruits
within, surely breaking the power of these factors is the key to saving these individuals from
destroying themselves and damaging others. I understand that doing this is not as easy as
saying it. To solve this problem, I think we must separate short-term solutions of the
problem from long-term solutions. Facing an immediate and real threat against civilians
might force us to use an iron fist. But we have to be aware that this approach is not part of
an enduring solution moreover, on many occasions, it acts against the solution to the
problem, as it did in the case of MEK during the 1980s in Iran, when the Iranian
government wanted to solve the problem with an iron fist. The result then was to push us
supporters even deeper into the organization and to give MEK‘s leaders even more
ammunition with which to continue the work of its propaganda machine.
Also, we have to realize that when we arrest terrorists, we are not dealing with common
criminals! Do you remember the case of Patty Hearst?36 We are dealing with brainwashed
people, and we have to help them rather than punish them. How can we punish people who
are welcoming death and pain?
Let me give you two examples: (1) The case of Khalid Shikh Mohammad, who pled guilty in
order to be executed by the United States and become a martyr. Now what do you want to
do with him? If you accept his confession, you have to accept that he is guilty for 9/11 and
kill him, making him a martyr—the best prize that you can give to him and Al-Qaeda. If you
do not consider him guilty, what was the purpose of his trial in the first place? (2) The case
of an MEK member. He was under 18 when he was arrested during an armed struggle. The
