The Prophets of Doom: The Security Threat of Religious Cults

Citation

Gönye, T. (1998), "The Prophets of Doom: The Security Threat of Religious Cults", European Business Review, Vol. 98 No. 5, pp. 293-294. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.1998.98.5.293.4

“Kill one, frighten 10,000” is a phrase attributed to an ancient Chinese philosopher and seems to be the basis on which terrorists operate (p. 17), relying also on the prevalence of the media to distribute the terrorists’ message and ideas.

The Institute of European Defence and Strategic Studies, which publishes the books, was founded in London in 1979 to study political change and assess its affects on strategic and defence matters and has a list of some 70 publications to its credit. The authors discuss the difference between terrorism and guerrilla warfare, citing numerous celebrated examples from many countries, outline the psychological profile of a “terrorist personality”, consider the question of whether one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter and question whether terrorism can be beaten. They consider the range of responses to terrorism and the preventive measures that may be effective, such as the success of baggage searches in airports and traffic restrictions in central London and the consequences when vigilance has lapsed. As one terrorist organisation put it, the authorities have to be successful every time in preventing casualties and damage, whereas the terrorist only needs to be lucky once.

The perceived danger of terrorism is far more important than the actual damage or deaths caused. Equally the level of Government response is usually far greater than the number of deaths caused (p. 26). The authors discuss the possible responses to terrorism and the effectiveness of the international bodies, such as Interpol, the G7 nations and TREVI (Terrorism, Radicalism, Extremism and International Violence), which is mainly a European Union body, with divisions to tackle different aspects of crime including football hooliganism, drug trafficking and terrorism, all of which have been made easier with the relaxation of border controls across the EU countries.

Religious Cults, such as the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo, that was responsible for releasing nerve gas in the Tokyo underground, are far more difficult to predict and control, because they are removed from society whom they see as the source of oppression, whereas a terrorist has some of the aims of the society against which the terrorist action is directed; his aim is to gain a certain legitimacy for his views. Studies have shown that the techniques of recruitment to religious cults are sophisticated forms of brain washing, as for example, those used by the Solar Temple, who “preyed on well‐off, middle class but gullible professionals who were lured into parting with their wealth after being recruited at cult conferences on homeopathy and other fashionable New Age topics” (p. 28).

Older cults, whose original figureheads have passed on in an ignominious manner can rise Phoenix‐like with new names and leaders to continue as before, like the Baghwan Ranjeesh Cult (The Divine Light), that took over a hamlet in Oregon. Ranjeesh was deported to India in 1985, for fraud, illegal immigration and sham marriages, in addition to other unsavoury activities, such as sexual abuse, hidden behind a cloak of spirituality. He died of AIDS in India, while the cult, renamed Osho, is now run by a Swami Prem Jayesh (formerly a Canadian property investor called Michael O’Byrne), who presides over a multi‐million dollar turnover. Former Scientology members have accused the cult of abuse, physical assault, sensory deprivation and malnutrition, causing lasting damage by methods that a California court described as “brain washing”.

The contemporary resurgence of mysticism and superstition since the dissolution of the former Soviet Union is apparently filling a gap left by the crumbling State systems with their inability to cope with health care, social welfare and security. The authors also ask whether a Waco siege can happen in the UK and remind us that there were 24 Britons who died in Waco with the Branch Davidians. The books provide an enlightening insight into the workings of terrorists and Religious Cults, highlighting their similarities and differences and warn us against complacency in tackling the threats they pose. A fascinating read.