Al Qaeda is a cult and can be eliminated with 24 months

[Winterblues]

I heard that on Rachel Maddow last night from an expert in both terrorism and Arabic regions. I tend to agree that Al Qaeda is a cult and can be eliminated not through gun fire but by stealing their base. I believe the Republican Party is also a cult and we can learn something about dealing with cults from both.

[eleny]

1. An End to al-Qaeda: Destroying Bin Laden's Jihad and Restoring America's Honor

The book by her guest, Malcolm Nance.

[annabanana]

9. It was a very interesting interview. . n/t

[timeforpeace]

2. Cults have always been easy to eliminate, right? Besides, the so-called War On Terror purports to be

eliminating this cult. How's that working out so far?

[annabanana]

7. The US has NEVER treated this as a "cult".. and it

ought to. Their perverted version of Islam has to be called out for what it is, officially and repeatedly. Those captured should NEVER be elevated to the status of "soldiers" in anyone's eyes.

[Oregone]

3. What's the last cult that was forcibly eliminated

Not voluntarily, you know (Jim Jones, Nike mass suiciders, etc).

I bet there are still some Branch Davidian hold outs

[flamin lib]

6. That's not what the book is about--not militarily or by force but by

systematically de-fueling the recruiting process.

[annabanana]

8. (try to find Rachel's interview of this author... He is not talking

about armaments.)

[Oregone]

10. Thats too bad, cause the concept of bombing ideas into oblivion is much more exciting

Seriously, I imagine if you throw enough atoms at an idea at the speed of light (probably at CERN), you could entirely eliminate it. If that doesn't work, Im sure you could nuke an idea.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Probably the Taiping Rebellion

Unless you count the Christian cult from America being forcibly eliminated from Vietnam.

Don

[secondwind]

4. The Republicans think AL-QAEDA is a country, and its combatants deserve military tribunals...

[SoCalDem]

5. The thing that works against this is the fact that so many middle eastern countries

who "like" the radical Islam are extreme pplaces where women are not valued for anything more than being a brood mare...and in many places, the ONLY education available is one that is totally based on the Koran and the teachers' skewed views on Islam.

I would liken it more to a street-gang than a cult..

[flamin lib]

11. Take a lesson from Bush's Brain.

Don't attack their weaknesses, work against their strengths.

Their main strength is a perversion of Islam spurred by some of the policies and practices of past (and present) administrations. Remove the irritants, work on knowing the religion and working within it's precepts and starve the enemy of recruits.

[conscious evolution]

12. Al Qaeda is an agitprop organization

financed by the BFEE,CIA and oil & weapons companies.Al Qaedas number one mission was to create an excuse for the US to sieze and control pipeline routes across Afghanistan.When they are no longer needed they will fade away and disappear.

[gratuitous]

13. Cult is a loaded word

But certainly, if we were serious about denting Al Qaeda's influence, we wouldn't currently be going about it in the worst possible way. One of the main tenets of Al Qaeda and its primary recruiting pitch is how violent and hostile the United States is to Islam. So, what do we do? We go on not one, but two, "crusades." Fookin brilliant.

Why don't we peel away their support? Why don't we try to influence the casual supporters of Al Qaeda by giving them an attractive alternative, instead of blowing them to pieces? We live in the land of the High Church of Redemptive Violence, and if a solution to a problem doesn't involve shooting and bombing, we can't seem to sell it.

[Toasterlad]

15. Let's Try It On Mormonism And Catholicism, Too.