Al Qaeda - Suicide Cult of Messianic Martyrdom

Politicians are hesitant to use the term "cult"; because it undermines and complicates dealing with a phenomenon they know very little about. Cult bashing is not something with which they or their spin-doctors are familiar. Furthermore, they fear that if it were popularly explained as a cult, then its successes and the failures of politicians to combat it effectively, would be seen be in a more confused and negative light than is already the case. It would frame the whole War on Terror in rather bizarre mode that doesn't fit with traditional approaches. However, one of the reasons Al Qaeda has been able to flourish is precisely because it is not recognized and treated for what it is – a religio-political death cult, and unless you call a spade a spade; you're just raking over the ground, not digging it up.

It is much easier for politicians (and many analysts and commentators) to simply characterize Al Qaeda as a terrorist group and lump it alongside national groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas or the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Palestine. This is especially easy as they are also responsible for similar activities, especially occasional suicide attacks, as well as having fundamentalist ideologies or leanings. It's neat, simple and non-distracting. However, it is a serious mistake. Clarity in the classification and evaluation of one's enemy is the first step to defeating him. Failure to do so is the first error on the road to his victory.

Al Qaeda has considerable similarities in tactics with other terrorist groups. It plants bombs, kills both military personnel and civilians, carries out assassinations, abducts, executes and tortures people, fires mortars, uses snipers, etc. It is also secretive, disciplined and fanatical. It aims to overthrow regimes and is very anti-Western. In this way, it is no different from the old IRA, groups like ETA or the Greek anarchists. But, unlike them its members also carry out suicide attacks, similar to terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, or Hamas and the Al Aqsa Brigades in Palestine or the Black Tigers in Sri Lanka. Obviously, like some of them it is also religious and, especially, fundamentalist in its beliefs. However, unlike all of these groups its agenda is not focused on one national territory, but is international in appeal and organisation.

If we went no further in the analysis, then we could say that Al Qaeda is essentially just a very large and dangerous terrorist organisation, like the others. However, we all know that Al Qaeda is very different than the old IRA or ETA and, we have an notion that it is also somehow different from say, Hezbollah or Hamas. We sense that we are dealing with quite a different phenomenon, even if we can't pin down why. That feeling or suspicion naturally arises from the spectacular nature of its attacks and its level of fanaticism. The two are interlinked, and its unique tactics and nature of operation are an expression of what makes Al Qaeda qualitatively different from all other terrorist groups. It is a cult, while all the others are not. The others may have some features similar to cult organizations, but many non-terrorist, human groups do also. As we go on to discuss these characteristics, it will become more evident that groups like the IRA or Hezbollah are not cults, but essentially terrorist groups, while Al Qaeda is a religious-political cult that uses terrorist methods.

Some people might well ask what is the real difference between the Hamas' individual suicide bomber at a crowded bus stop in Israel and the members of the Al Qaeda groups, which were responsible for 9/11? Firstly, Mosad, the Israeli secret service and the world's most experienced anti-terrorists force was stunned to learn of the profile of most of the members of the Al Qaeda group. Unlike those from Palestine who generally come from poor backgrounds and traumatized experiences, many of the 9/11 bombers were from comfortable, middle class environments with families and professions. Secondly, although Al Qaeda does strike with lone individuals, other terrorist organizations never use collective suicide groups. And finally, the Palestinian terrorists always use "opportunistic" volunteers, who offer themselves, whereas Al Qaeda trains and calls upon particular members to give their lives.

Generally, the only organization where such a phenomenon takes place, especially involving intelligent, prosperous, non-traumatized persons, who give up their life in mass or in groups, are certain extreme cults. Organizations like Heavens Gate, the Branch Davidians or the People's Temple spring to mind as examples of collective suicide for the ideology of the group and at the request of its guru. The difference with these groups, even including the bloody siege at Waco, is that they tend to be insular and don't pro-actively participate in or physically attack society. One such group, which did, though, was Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese cult of mostly middle class students who killed dozens of people by gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in the 1990's. Many other cults are not entirely insular, but participate non-violently to different degrees in society, such as the Moonies, Hari Krishna or The Church of Scientology.

Al Qaeda represents a hybrid of these different forms of cults, which like all of them, is based on brainwashing, mind-control and behavioral manipulation of their members. Al Qaeda has also adopted a proactive, violent strategy of intervention into society using terrorist and guerrilla tactics and a perversion of Islam as the foundations of its religio-political ideology.

Does, then, in essence, Al Qaeda have more in common with cults, than it does with classical terrorist groups? Is it essentially a cult using terrorist methods, or more a terrorist group with some similarities to a cult? To answer this let's take a look at some of the key characteristics of cults as drawn up experts like Dr Margaret Singer of the Department of Psychology, Berkeley, University of California, and Robert J. Lifton M.D, and follow those with regard to Al Qaeda, one by one.