***This post is very open to debate, input, opinions, confirmations, contradictions, so please use your freedom of speech to the MAX!!

Love, Michael.

************************************************************* Copyright 2002 by Michael Pattinson. All rights reserved.

Permission to publish or copy is granted provided the text is not altered and credit is given to the author.
TERRORISM: THE 21ST CENTURY BATTLEFIELD".
***CHECKLIST OF THE MAIN TRAITS OF FANATICAL TERRORIST GROUPS*** I do not claim that this is a scientific or authoritative document but it is my hope that it could prove useful. It is as accurate as I can make it from the extent of my personal knowledge.

This list may be useful in inspecting the degree of totalitarian fanaticism or even the destructive potential of groups which are trying to insert themselves into an area or which are under investigation.

The points are indicators of danger to the community or country. The more points present the greater the danger.

I would imagine, also, that it could be useful in preventing injustices from witch hunts by groups who find themselves wrongly attacked. They could show by real evidences how few of these characteristics their group possesses.

My own experience in drawing up this list lies with over two decades in the cult of Scientology, and also with some general research into Al Quaeda based on events since September 11, 2001. The major parallels between such fanatical and/or terrorist groups with a totalitarian vision dressed in religious garb such Al Quaeda and Scientology can be listed as below. Other cults and groups share these traits to differing degrees.
NOTE: Both Al Quaeda, according to my research, and Scientology, per my own experience and research have ALL of these NEGATIVE traits. It will be of great interest to see if others agree with this or not. The point is open to debate.
Summary of Common traits of terrorist groups.

(not in order of importance) 0. Mainline strategy is to spread the group's beliefs and/or behavior patterns in a totalitarian fashion and by all methods, legal or not, to large zones of humanity regardless of the free will of those people to be so converted.
1.The group as an entity considers its own survival paramount. All other human associations deemed inferior and expendable.

2. Self-serving authoritarian leaders ignore plight of main body of membership.

3. Critics or apostates of group actively pursued and persecuted.

4. Terrorist "cells" used to perpetrate crimes, abuse or outright destruction of persons or property.

5. Cocoon of internal isolated realities blind members to the outside world. Dependency created on group for member's very existence and loyalty cemented by far of expulsion.

6. Language terms invented and ordinary words redefined to promote the group-think and propaganda.

7. Access to media denied to members (no T.V, radio, newspapers).

8. Deeply distorted or hateful belief system. Beliefs do not permit the qualities such as love, kindness, compassion, etc to be part of members' behavior patterns.

9. Totalitarian aims intended to be imposed on mankind as a whole by force.

10. World domination a part of plans of group to comply with the commanding intention of the group's guru or leader(s). Definite plan is to convert entire world to their group's belief system.

11. Fanaticism forced on society by a few members unknown to (or often disapproved of if known by) mainline membership. Zealous commitment encouraged and used to enforce group's aims.

12. Highly compartmentalized group structure which enables cells to operate independently of group but funded by group.

13. Access to working with "inner circle" or management by invitation only.

14. Activities and operations of leaders or high management kept secret from main membership.

15. Operations spread over many countries to ensure wide base of activity despite being banned in some countries.

16. Bases of operation outside areas of tight law enforcement to preserve continuity despite actions of individual governments.

17. Intention to gain control of territories or zones of influence whatever current population wants in those areas.

18. Use of all types of power gained to perpetrate corrupt and/or destructive activities.

19. Use of "front groups", "religiosity" or "charitable" appearances to mask real agenda of operatives and group leaders and gain power and influence by deceit.

20. Infiltration by trained group members under covert control of group into government agencies, institutions, corporations and associations in order to exert internal control and enable group influence to be imported or opposition to group nullified.

21. Secret accounts, money channels and financial irregularities to get past legal restraints.

22. Immigration falsehoods enforced on countries by deceit.

23. Operatives trained in specific activities using normal educational/training establishments but for socially destructive purposes. (such as Flight Schools for Al Quaeda, or Law Schools for Scientology operatives).

24.Leaders are fugitives from justice in one or more countries or zones.

25. Leaders place themselves in positions of non-accountability by isolation from operations they have created or by geographical separation from the areas they are influencing.

26. Complex financial structures mask destination of member funding and eventual use of funds. This may include money laundering.

27. Identities stolen or falsified by group operatives or cells to mask source of illegal and/or destructive operations.

28. Ideological basis "justifies" crimes or illegal actions in the eyes of operatives to the point of utter contempt for the law of the relevant lands.

29. Major business scams or illegal financial schemes used to finance group expansion activities (i.e. possibly such things as drug trafficking, major "ponzi schemes" where investors lose their funds but group uses those funds, investment fraud scams, etc..).

30. . Major funding through deceit of membership as to eventual use to which their contributions will be put.

31. Certain types of individuals, ethnic groups, or apostates slated for active personal destruction or murder by the group. Breaking up of families who do not go along with group's aims.

32. Para-military aspect of group used to recruit operatives under tight discipline and self-denying loyalty to group objectives.

Recruiting and training of suicidal or self-destructively devoted members. False army, navy uniforms but real munitions etc used to give a war-like face to intentions of group, but group is not an official armed force of a country.

33. Justice by the group leaders towards members and to outside "offenders" or "infidels" is by whim and can be very savage.

34. Abuse of those considered "inferior", i.e. women, gays, other "competitor" religions or groups, critics, and those not 100% loyal to the dictates of the leaders, etc...

35. Intensely planned attack strategies, mostly covertly directed for destructive ends against perceived enemies, whether real enemies or not.

36. Group dictates what members must think. Penalties accrue to those who dare to think differently.

37. Group pretends to align with non-group environment but this is very superficial and fake. No real or deep harmony with group's surrounding environment or culture.

38. Central conspiracy somehow separate from main body of group but using group for its fanatical ends and/or personal power or enrichment.

39. Physical and/or mental torture to obtain loyalty and compliance.

40. Destruction of non-group properties, persons, businesses etc..to force compliance with group demands and aims.

41. Extortion of funds, contribution or silence by illegal means.

42. Murder, attempted murder or deliberate injury of those who appear to stand in the way of group's aims.

43. Oblivious attitude to consequences of the group's destructive acts on individuals or society.

44. Society, or parts of it, deemed "expendable" and to be replaced by group's own agenda and resulting culture.

45. "Religious Police" or "Morality Enforcers" part of tyranny of fanaticism.

46. Group's "Public Relations" spin divorced from reality. Pure propaganda of lies to deceive.

47. Personal confessions, private information used to blackmail dissenters into compliance.

48. Group boasts of achievements that have no basis in reality.

49. Brainwashing of members by various processes of mind control and/or false information inculcation from within and denial of true information from outside the group sphere.

50. Savage physical or emotional violence to keep fanatically tight group discipline.

51. So-called "bringing of new order" by cruel devices rather than reason or love.

52. Violence enacted in the name of God or a guru thought of as a kind of deity.

53. False friendly, charismatic or benign "front" or façade used to slick over atrocities to hide them and continue the deception to further advance group's hidden agenda.

54. Heartlessness as a consistent attitude.

55. Reign of emotional and/or physical terror is the normal operating basis by leaders over the main membership to enforce loyalty or compulsory contribution.

56. Use of fighters or covert operatives to force group's aims on dissenters or non-compliant areas or populations. Group hires thugs, P.I.s and unethical individuals to stifle criticism by all available means.

57. Killing (or extreme duress forced on people) away from the eyes of the world.

58. Obsession with destroying anything and anyone "different" from them.(ethnic cleansing, book burning, perversion of justice systems, introducing confusions into orderly institutions etc... .)

59. Generally maintained group consideration that the group or its leaders are "above the law".

60. Attitude of "we know it all" without openness to self-inspection and use of this to promote self-arrogance and destroy and discredit perceived opposition by defamatory claims. Socializing done exclusively within membership of group.

61. Accusation of others of committing crimes or atrocities that the group or its operatives really committed.

62. Irresponsibility for the free will of others.

63. Advance of group leaves wake of destruction.

64. Highest order of "duty" to the group is self-sacrifice, not personal achievement, success and power.

65. Emphasis on past-lives, future lives, paradise etc... used to deny importance of current member lifetime and to obtain total self-sacrifice to the group.

66. Sweepingly false propaganda used to instill false ideas into group at rallies, events or meetings.

67. Group's own views get forced into public and political arenas by devious, sly means, sometimes by the use of opinion leaders or misinformed or complicit celebrities.

68. Group states it is friendly and benign but is really hostile, aggressive and armed to the teeth.

69. No limits to the extremism of the group "for the cause". "Fair game" not limited in its application.

70. Socially benign or "religious" cloak hides non-religious agenda and violent determination.

71. Leaders of group operate members like puppets to the detriment of the individuals concerned.

72. Network of false front groups not apparently connected to main leadership or group but furthering group's expansion of political influence, finances, community control and false "public relations" by deceit and hidden agendas.

73. Use of group's beliefs or methods used "in reverse" to harm non-members.

74. Use of highly complex structures of corporate networks and legal intricacies to avoid responsibility for legal consequences of group's destructive activities.

75. Group violates human rights in the advancement of its own agenda.

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