Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006, pp. 268-306

Responding to Jihadism: A Cultic Studies Perspective

Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.

Abstract

This paper applies a cultic studies perspective to attempts to counter Jihadism. The paper (a) describes the conversion process and how this process can lead some individuals down a pathway to violence; (b) argues that a clash of civilizations between Islam and the West is by no means inevitable and that advocacy of the clash-of-civilizations view risks becoming a self-fulfilling alarmism; (c) advocates that the respectful “deep communication” of the psychotherapeutic process is vital to communication across worldviews; and (d) offers action recommendations in the areas of prevention, assistance, law enforcement, and research.
 

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