Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2009, Page 36
The Minnesota Patriots Council, an anti-government militia group, in 1992:
Members managed to make some ricin, a deadly poison derived from castor
beans, but they never figured out what to do with it.16
Aum Shinrikyo, in 1995: Group members released sarin, a type of nerve gas, in
the Tokyo subway, killing 12 and causing more than 5,000 to fall ill. This was
chemical ―warfare‖—and perhaps more rightly called warfare because the Aum
cult intended to bring about the destruction of humanity in its quest for
Armageddon.17
Interestingly, a recent book, Bracing for Armageddon?, by UCLA immunology professor
William Clark,18 cites these last three examples, those orchestrated by cultic groups, as
attempts at large-scale bioterror attacks.
But should we be worried? Dr. Clark doesn‘t think so. According to him, the combined
expertise needed—in microbiology, bioengineering, meteorology, and other scientific
areas—to be successful in creating a biological weapon is highly unlikely to occur, not
among terrorist groups, not among nations.19 And so, we may assume, not among cults.
Aum, for example, with all of its high-level, scientifically trained members, spent millions of
dollars and almost a decade trying to develop biological weapons and was not successful.
Dr. Clark believes we have much, much more to worry about from an avian flu or some
other natural outbreak.
Nonetheless, today we are all concerned about terrorism and national security. We read
every day of terrorist activities— the deaths, injuries, destruction. We see plenty of the
aftermath on TV or the Internet.
Over the years, we have seen articles in the worldwide press about families remarking on
how their loved one was seduced by a radical imam, a fellow student, someone in the
mosque, a coworker, or a neighbor into becoming a revolutionary martyr. Words like
coercion, brainwashing, targeted recruitment, and persuasion tend to surface in these
reports.
Sadly, a recent CNN article reported on the prevalence of females being used for suicide
bombing missions:
Intelligence gathered from detainees indicates that al Qaeda in Iraq is looking
for women with three main characteristics: those who are illiterate, are
deeply religious, or have financial struggles because most likely they‘ve lost
the male head of the household…. If the woman‘s psychological state is bad,
they try to lure her with the illusions that she will be going to heaven… All of
them come from the families of terrorists, and they are being recruited and
pressured.20
I have no doubt that a number of us have much to contribute to a more comprehensive
understanding of the recruitment and indoctrination of young men and women into terrorist
organizations. They are not all becoming suicide bombers we know that. For those who are
selected for these martyrdom missions, the indoctrination need not be lengthy because
there are many other geopolitical, historical, theological, and personal factors involved that
may make it a relatively swift process. But the point is this: There is an indoctrination
process—and that‘s something that those of us who study cults know about. The vast
majority of people are not born to kill, much less in that way. The suicide bombers are not
psychopaths they are victims.
It has also become clear to me in my review of the terrorism literature that so many—I‘d
even venture to say, the vast majority—of the primary authors have a minimal
understanding, at best,21 and a gross misunderstanding, at worst, of the influence processes
The Minnesota Patriots Council, an anti-government militia group, in 1992:
Members managed to make some ricin, a deadly poison derived from castor
beans, but they never figured out what to do with it.16
Aum Shinrikyo, in 1995: Group members released sarin, a type of nerve gas, in
the Tokyo subway, killing 12 and causing more than 5,000 to fall ill. This was
chemical ―warfare‖—and perhaps more rightly called warfare because the Aum
cult intended to bring about the destruction of humanity in its quest for
Armageddon.17
Interestingly, a recent book, Bracing for Armageddon?, by UCLA immunology professor
William Clark,18 cites these last three examples, those orchestrated by cultic groups, as
attempts at large-scale bioterror attacks.
But should we be worried? Dr. Clark doesn‘t think so. According to him, the combined
expertise needed—in microbiology, bioengineering, meteorology, and other scientific
areas—to be successful in creating a biological weapon is highly unlikely to occur, not
among terrorist groups, not among nations.19 And so, we may assume, not among cults.
Aum, for example, with all of its high-level, scientifically trained members, spent millions of
dollars and almost a decade trying to develop biological weapons and was not successful.
Dr. Clark believes we have much, much more to worry about from an avian flu or some
other natural outbreak.
Nonetheless, today we are all concerned about terrorism and national security. We read
every day of terrorist activities— the deaths, injuries, destruction. We see plenty of the
aftermath on TV or the Internet.
Over the years, we have seen articles in the worldwide press about families remarking on
how their loved one was seduced by a radical imam, a fellow student, someone in the
mosque, a coworker, or a neighbor into becoming a revolutionary martyr. Words like
coercion, brainwashing, targeted recruitment, and persuasion tend to surface in these
reports.
Sadly, a recent CNN article reported on the prevalence of females being used for suicide
bombing missions:
Intelligence gathered from detainees indicates that al Qaeda in Iraq is looking
for women with three main characteristics: those who are illiterate, are
deeply religious, or have financial struggles because most likely they‘ve lost
the male head of the household…. If the woman‘s psychological state is bad,
they try to lure her with the illusions that she will be going to heaven… All of
them come from the families of terrorists, and they are being recruited and
pressured.20
I have no doubt that a number of us have much to contribute to a more comprehensive
understanding of the recruitment and indoctrination of young men and women into terrorist
organizations. They are not all becoming suicide bombers we know that. For those who are
selected for these martyrdom missions, the indoctrination need not be lengthy because
there are many other geopolitical, historical, theological, and personal factors involved that
may make it a relatively swift process. But the point is this: There is an indoctrination
process—and that‘s something that those of us who study cults know about. The vast
majority of people are not born to kill, much less in that way. The suicide bombers are not
psychopaths they are victims.
It has also become clear to me in my review of the terrorism literature that so many—I‘d
even venture to say, the vast majority—of the primary authors have a minimal
understanding, at best,21 and a gross misunderstanding, at worst, of the influence processes
