Terrorism has been defined as "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or

coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
objectives."(2 ) While the 1980s saw a growth of politically inspired terrorism, the 1990s has seen a dramatic
increase in terrorism motivated by a religious agenda. As a result, intelligence experts have claimed that we may
well be witnessing an emerging trend and shift away from terrorism motivated by political ideology towards a
dominant religious terrorism warranting a revision of our notions of the stereotypical terrorist organization.(3 ) This
trend has received some attention within the intelligence and law enforcement communities, and should should be of
particular interest to individuals and organizations involved in monitoring extremist and new religious groups and
movements, especially with regards to the U.S. domestic terrorism threat.(4 )

A History Of Religion And Terror

The horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, apparently perpetrated by well organized terrorists
with ties to radical Muslim extremist groups, has America grappling with the threat of terrorism as never before.
Unfortunately, the combination of religion and violence is not new in history. In fact, many English words used to
describe terrorists and their actions, such as "zealot," "assassin" and "thug," derive from the names of religious
groups.(5 ) Yet in recent times, the religious motivation for terrorism has been overshadowed by "ethnic- and
nationalist-separatist or ideologically motivated" political terrorism.(6 ) While many secular terrorist groups do have
religious elements, the political dimension is the predominant characteristic. This began to change in the 1980s with
the rise of religious terrorism in the form of militant Islamic Shiite fundamentalism. As we will see, the shift toward
terrorism motivated by religious considerations is one of the reasons for terrorism's increasing lethality.

Differing Foundations, Deadly Differences

RAND researcher Bruce Hoffman contrasts the ethical values of "secular political" terrorists with "religious
political" terrorists, and notes that these differ radically in that for "holy terrorists...violence [is] first and foremost a
sacramental act or divine duty executed in direct response to some theological demand or imperative."(7 ) For such
groups terrorism is a full time vocation and they take public credit for such acts as a means of influencing their
perceived constituency on behalf of a goal with terrorism as the means to an end. By contrast, unlike "secular
terrorists," religiously motivated groups have no external constituency for whom a terrorist act is designed to
influence. Religious terrorists often act anonymously and for no one but themselves, which results in increased
levels of violence and lethality. These differing ethical foundations for terrorism provide the basis for the disturbing
trend over the last decade towards a willingness to use biological and chemical weapons, as well as the increasing
potential for their use in the future.(8 )

Holy Terror's New Players

Contrary to depictions in Western media, and popular stereotypes, religious terrorism is not limited to radical
Islamic groups in the Middle East, and the U.S. domestic terrorist threat may lie closer to home. A few new religious
groups and movements may pose the greatest threat. Before one is tempted to dismiss this thesis as alarmist and
unwarranted, consider the following incidents:

In September 1984, 750 people became sick after eating in restaurants in The Dalles, Oregon. Investigators later
learned that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the leader of the nearby religious commune of Rajneeshpuram, had ordered
followers to spread the salmonella bacteria in restaurants in order to influence local elections. The event was thought
to only be a trial run for a larger attack, and "resulted in the largest outbreak of foodborne disease" in the U.S. that
year.(9 )

In 1987, a number of white supremacists, influenced by "Christian Identity teaching" (described below) were
indicted for plotting to poison the municipal water supplies of two major American cities.(10 )

In March 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo ("Supreme Truth") sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subways killed 12 and injured
more than 5,000 in March 1995. Despite the attempts by some to downplay the severity of Aum's activities,(11 ) the
Aum attack has the distinction of being the world's first mass-scale chemical terrorist attack. The group built a vast
arsenal of biochemical and conventional arms, including mustard gas, anthrax, botulism, Q-fever, sarin nerve gas
and TNT. Aum also experimented with seismic weapons designed to trigger cataclysmic earthquakes in Japan, an
idea dismissed by geologists but taken very seriously by the U.S. and Soviet militaries.(12 ) While Aum appeared to
meet its end with the arrest and trials of its founder, leadership and key members, recent news reports indicate the
group is rebuilding and growing in membership. It poses a continued threat worth monitoring.

Acknowledged Possibility

Admittedly, not every new religious group or movement should be considered a domestic terrorist threat to the U.S.
Most do not exhibit violent tendencies or incorporate a eschatological emphasis (the theology of "last things,"
including the supernatural climax of human history) upon an apocalyptic vision which could be used to justify
terrorism in a self-fulfilling prophecy of doomsday. But the real possibility for religious terrorism by a few such
groups has not escaped the notice of those grappling with the challenge and complexities of national security.
Michael Osterholm, state epidemiologist at Minnesota's Department of Health stated, "There is a growing number of
millennium cults who believe the year 2000 could be the end of the Earth and should be the end of the Earth, and are
actively pursuing ways to bring that about."(13 )

Osterholm's words are echoed by Jessica Stern, a former chemical and biological weapons specialist with the
National Security Council: "These kinds of groups might turn to extreme violence and weapons of mass destruction
because they believe Armageddon is coming¼. They want to hasten the appearance of the Messiah."(14 )

Even former Defense Secretary William Cohen said, "Regional aggressors, third-rate armies, terrorist cells, and
even religious cults will wield disproportionate power" through the possible use of weapons of mass destruction
[emphasis mine].(15 )

Some Worth Watching

Predicting who may commit an act of terrorism, and when, is a risky venture. Even so, given their doomsday
eschatology, racist and/or anti-goverment rhetoric and activities, the following groups and movement are worth
watching.

• House of Yahweh, founded by "Yisrayl" Hawkins, with branches in Odessa and Abilene, Texas. This group
may have a large collection of weapons, they believe their group will play a major role in the coming War
of Armageddon, and members of the group have been linked to Posse Comitatus , a radical, anti-
government group connected to the racist Christian Identity movement.(16 )

• Nation of Yahweh, founded by Hulon Mitchell, Jr. (Yahweh ben Yahweh), in Miami, Florida. Although
Mitchell is currently in prison for a murder conspiracy conviction, this militant black separatist group has a
history of violence, including an incident in 1986 when Mitchell ordered the fire-bombing of a
neighborhood, the sending of "death angels" to kill whites, and acts of retribution against blacks who
interfered with Mitchell's business activities.(17 ) The FBI has investigated this group in the past under
terrorism guidelines established by the attorney general.(18 )

• Nation of Islam under the leadership of Louis Farrakhan. This is another black separatist sect with militant
tendencies. Although he has softened his rhetoric in recent years, Farrakhan has prophesied a doomsday for
white America, including the total destruction of the country, while also calling for the establishment of a
separate black territory in the U.S.(19 ) He frequently makes anti-American statements in the media both in
the U.S. and abroad, and has close ties to Libya and it's leader Qaddafi, a nation and leader known for
supporting international acts of terrorism. He also has ties to El Rukn , a radical, black Muslim street gang
in Chicago, which "reportedly offered to carry out terrorist operations in the United States on behalf of
Libya in return for money."(20 )
 • Christian Identity Movement. Many of the episodes of terrorist violence in the U.S. have been perpetrated
by white supremacists. They come from a variety of organizations, including neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan and
the growing militia movement, with sympathizers found across the U.S. These white supremacists are
radically anti-government, racist and anti-Semitic. The increasingly popular Christian Identity teaching is
the ideological glue which holds a large segment of this movement of hate together:

The basic tenets of the Identity movement include the beliefs that Jesus Christ was not a Semite, but an
Aryan; that the Lost Tribes of Israel are composed not of Jews, but of "blue eyed Aryans;" that white
Anglo-Saxons and not Jews are the true "Chosen People;" and, that the United States is the "Promised
Land."(21 )

The Christian Identity movement is of special concern given its emphasis upon a future racial and religious
Armageddon, a holy war between Yahweh's Aryan race on the one side, and the Jews and other "sub-human races"
on the other. Identity teachings are spreading rapidly through a growing number of hate groups,(22 ) as well as
undiscerning Christian fundamentalist churches in the South, Midwest and Pacific Northwest. It represents a
powerful religious ideology who's teachings or teachers may have influenced both Timothy McVeigh, convicted and
executed for the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City,(23 ) and the
perpetrator(s) of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta.(24 )

Increased Vigilance

In commenting on the Aum gas attack in Tokyo, terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman stated, "We've definitely crossed a
threshold. This is the cutting edge of hi-tech terrorism for the year 2000 and beyond. It's the nightmare scenario that
people have quietly talked about for years coming true."(25 ) It is also a scenario that may be repeated elsewhere,
therefore the significance of Aum and other groups, must be noted and we would do well to learn the lessons in
preparation for the possibility of similar incidents.

We have noted the current trend toward terrorism dominated by a religious imperative, coupled with the tendency
towards increased violence and lethality. The FBI has also noted an increase in terrorist activities from right wing
extremists and "special interest groups." These facts, combined with recent examples of terrorist acts carried out by
new religious groups or movements, and the probable rise of new doomsday groups, as well as existing groups
putting a new emphasis on doomsday eschatology(26 ) give great cause for concern.

After investigating the Aum attack (within the context of the global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction), a
U.S. Senate investigative report asked:

'How does a fanatic [Aum and its founder, Shoko Asahara], intent on creating Armageddon, with relatively
unlimited funds and a world-wide network of operatives, escape notice of Western intelligence and law-enforcement
agencies outside of Japan?'

The answer was as direct as it was alarming. 'They simply were not on anybody's radar screen,' replied a top U.S.
counter-terrorism officer.

Not on anybody's radar screen? Apparently we need a new radar.(27 )

While the intelligence, defense, disaster response and medical communities continue to grapple with the
implications of the Aum, and now World Trade Center attacks, and the prospect for future acts of domestic
terrorism, those who monitor new religious groups and movements have an important contribution to make. Here
those who labor in this field must give due recognition to the present trend and future prospects presented by such
groups. While special attention is usually paid to the possibility of a new religious group's self-destruction in the
wake of the Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Solar Temple and Heaven's Gate tragedies, as we have seen,
consideration must also be given to the possibility that some groups may direct acts of violence outside the group.
While it may be that "[i]n dealing with unconventional groups that have both religious and political agendas,
government officials and law enforcement agents have not always been sufficiently sensitive to their [religious] self-
definitions,"(28 ) hopefully those monitoring extremist, fringe and new religious movements and groups can provide
a needed corrective. With an increased vigilance, we may be able not only to stem the tide of false teaching and
abusive practices, but may save lives as well.

LONG-TERM SOLUTION: WHEN THERE ARE NO MORE VICTIMS

We (the civilized world) could attempt to deal with terrorists one at a time.
We will attempt to prevent as many acts of terror as possible,
coping with the terrorists who are already alive and plotting.
Dramatically improved airline security is one means.

We may not know any workable solutions for the problem of Palestine.
But we all will be able to recognize the solutions when we see them:
Palestinians will no longer think of themselves as victims.
They will be happy to go about their ordinary daily lives,
without always looking for opportunities to do harm to their victimizers.
When Palestinians can say: "We are no longer victims.",
their children and grandchildren will not think of killing themselves
in order to call attention to their victimization.