Open Minds posts articles and reports that we think might be of interest – in doing so, Open Minds is not endorsing the content of the articles or papers, nor do they reflect any corporate view of OM. They are articles, reports, papers, etc. that we think might be of interest.
Following new stalking protections we need to tackle cultic abuse
Anyone who has suffered the fear and helplessness of being stalked will welcome Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s stalking prevention orders. Along with laws to protect against coercive control, grooming for sex and modern slavery, it is gratifying to see that the psychological element in exploitative and damaging relationships is at last being recognised. But there … Continue reading Following new stalking protections we need to tackle cultic abuse
Study of CEGEP students shows vulnerabilities to violent radicalization
[This is an interesting study which comes close to identifying how people can become susceptible to cultic abuse. That is, the way that cults and violent extremist groups target susceptible people and use deceptive recruitment techniques followed by various stages of psychological manipulation in order to enthral and enslave followers. Open Minds Ed] Catherine Solyom, Montreal … Continue reading Study of CEGEP students shows vulnerabilities to violent radicalization
Cults In the Workplace
[This article demonstrates that classic cult-forming tactics won’t work if the victim is aware of what is happening – the first step toward cultic abuse is deceptive recruitment – Open Minds Ed] CNS News By Bill Donohue, October 7, 2017 A federal judge has ruled that a Long Island health care company must submit to … Continue reading Cults In the Workplace
Far-right Combat 18 in ‘secret plan to recruit Birmingham teachers’
Birmingham Mail, 2 July 2016 BY MIKE LOCKLEY Ex-member Nigel Bromage claims feared group targeting ‘people with influence’ after Brexit … A FORMER leading light in the violent world of neo-Nazism has revealed a plot to recruit Birmingham and West Midlands teachers to the far-right. Nigel Bromage has documents from ultra-right wing group Combat 18 … Continue reading Far-right Combat 18 in ‘secret plan to recruit Birmingham teachers’
The trap: Cult thinking and conflict in the Middle East
The notion of ‘cult behaviour’ can explain the persistent cycle of violence in the Middle East. John Bell, Al Jazeera, July 28, 2014: In mid-June, I wrote an article about the attachment to identity in the Middle East and its deadliness in our times. Since then, a caliphate was announced from Aleppo to Tikrit, the … Continue reading The trap: Cult thinking and conflict in the Middle East
With Coercive Control, the Abuse Is Psychological
The methods used in Coercive Control can be used in Cultic Abuse to subjugate and control victims. Such recognised methods could become the basis of criminal legislation against Cultic Abuse [Open Minds]. The New York Times, By Abby Ellin, July 11, 2016 Lisa Fontes’s ex-boyfriend never punched her, or pulled her hair. But he hacked into her … Continue reading With Coercive Control, the Abuse Is Psychological
From Attraction to Action — How Young People Are Radicalized
Anne Khodabandeh “…To our eyes, the overt horror of terrorism and extremist violence appears a crude instrument. But recruiters are involved in a highly sophisticated game of mind control which we ignore at our peril. If we don’t take seriously the methodology behind the bloodied images, then we will continue to allow our young people … Continue reading From Attraction to Action — How Young People Are Radicalized
Letter to The Guardian – Pros and cons of the Prevent strategy
The NUT’s vote to reject the Home Office’s Prevent strategy is disappointing. It would be a disaster if the fallout from weak and incoherent training is allowed to blight the future of the Prevent duty… Anne Khodabandeh, Guardian Letters, March 29, 2016… As an ordinary Leeds lass who spent two decades embroiled in a foreign … Continue reading Letter to The Guardian – Pros and cons of the Prevent strategy
Could a Toll-Free Number Have Saved Brussels?
All the surveillance and intelligence gathering in the world won’t matter if you can’t stop people from becoming terrorists in the first place. By Julia Ioffe, March 24, 2016, Foreign Policy… Edit Schlaffer has been in Brussels this week for the graduation ceremony of one of her Mothers Schools, a network of seminars to train … Continue reading Could a Toll-Free Number Have Saved Brussels?
ISIS Is a Cult That Uses Terrorism: A Fresh New Strategy
By Steven Hassan, The World Post, October 17, 2014… Who is drawn to join violent terrorist groups and why? Could it be the violence itself? Last week The New York Times suggested that the group calling itself Islamic State has adopted a ‘cult of sadism’ — using its brutal images of rapes, crucifixions and beheadings … Continue reading ISIS Is a Cult That Uses Terrorism: A Fresh New Strategy
Latest
Radicalisation Awareness: An Opportunity to Criminalise Cultic Abuse
Presentation at the ICSA Conference, Bordeaux, July 2017 – Theme of Conference: Cultic Dynamics and Radicalization. Radicalisation Awareness: An Opportunity to Criminalise Cultic Abuse By Anne Khodabandeh (Bio can be found here – in alphabetical order) I am not a researcher or academic or legal expert. Instead I am an …Read More >
Following new stalking protections we need to tackle cultic abuse
Anyone who has suffered the fear and helplessness of being stalked will welcome Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s stalking prevention orders. Along with laws to protect against coercive control, grooming for sex and modern slavery, it is gratifying to see that the psychological element in exploitative and damaging relationships is at …Read More >
Study of CEGEP students shows vulnerabilities to violent radicalization
[This is an interesting study which comes close to identifying how people can become susceptible to cultic abuse. That is, the way that cults and violent extremist groups target susceptible people and use deceptive recruitment techniques followed by various stages of psychological manipulation in order to enthral and enslave followers. Open …Read More >