The study of new religious movements and the radicalization of home-grown terrorists : opening a dialogue /
Lorne L Dawson.
- 2009
Before 9-11 some of the worst terrorist incidents in recent years had been carried out by new religious movements (often also known as cults). These included attacks on themselves as in the mass suicide of Peoples Temple in Guyana, or on the general public as in Aum Shinrikyo's sarin gas attacks against passengers on the Tokyo subway. This article asks why little attention seems to have been given to the clear parallels with Islamic extremist groups. Suggests there are valuable lessons to be drawn about the causes and processes of radicalization. These include the role of apocalyptic belief systems and charismatic forms of authority which are a potentially dangerous combination.