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Terrorism

Right-Wing Extremist Terrorists Target Humanists Who Teach Critical Thinking

2018-12-16T19:01:14-05:00September 16th, 2018|Blog|

Indian Activists Advocate the Use of Scientific, Analytical Thinking, Not Just Superstition This week's blog features an interview with my friend Narendra Nayak who is the President of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA). His organization consists of eighty constituent groups who together seek to promote scientific thinking. For example, members have been a force to teach Indians about magic tricks used by cult gurus like Sai Baba to induce them to believe he had God-like powers. Decades ago, Premanand, the original founder of the Indian Skeptic organization, introduced me to Narendra Nayak. Premanand was an extraordinary man who wrote [...]

The Ninth International Conference on Complex Systems 2018 Sponsored by NECSI

2019-10-21T08:39:30-04:00July 26th, 2018|Blog, News and Updates|

July 26, 2018, This past Sunday, July 22, 2018, I was honored to be the opening plenary speaker at the 9th International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. My talk was entitled, A Complex Systems Approach to Countering Mind Control, Trafficking and, Terrorism. It was well-received, the questions were many, and the feedback was excellent. The video of my talk is here. Founder and President of NECSI, Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam and myself ICCS is a unique interdisciplinary forum that unifies and bridges the traditional domains [...]

Remembering the Boston Marathon Attack

2018-12-16T19:25:56-05:00April 12th, 2017|Blog, Current Events, News and Updates|

Four years ago, on April 15, 2013, Boston was attacked by terrorists during its annual legendary Marathon. Four people lost their lives and 264 more were wounded. Boston Strong was the phrase used, but we all were in lockdown while police tried to hunt down those responsible. For me and countless others, it brought up painful emotions of the 9/11 attack. Soon, reports came out linking the attack to extremist beliefs and rumors of ties to Islamic extremists started circulating. As a mental health professional who lives in Newton and helps people that have been unduly influenced by cults [...]

How Understanding Mind Control Can Prevent Future Terrorist Attacks

2018-12-13T20:48:13-05:00September 9th, 2016|Blog, Current Events|

This coming Sunday marks fifteen years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On the morning of September 11, 2001 our nation was changed forever. Many lives were lost, and many of us were left in shock and disbelief as we helplessly watched the scenes of horror on our TV screens. We spent the next few days learning that these attacks were committed by a group called Al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden. This led to invading Afghanistan and the mistake of Bush’s insistence to invade Iraq- which destabilized the region and led to the formation of ISIS. As soon as I [...]

How to Proceed After the Worst Mass Shooting in US History

2018-12-16T19:29:10-05:00June 14th, 2016|Blog, Current Events|

This past weekend, forty-nine innocent people were killed in an Orlando gay night club and more were injured. The attack, committed by a lone gunman who called 911 and pledged allegiance to ISIS, is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States. Much like the rest of the nation, my thoughts have been with those who were lost and who lost loved ones during this attack. As a human rights activist, I am frequently public in my support for people to be themselves, and respected for their right to be gay. As more information comes out, I [...]

Boston Marathon Bombing: Three Years Later

2018-12-13T20:57:27-05:00April 14th, 2016|Blog, Current Events|

Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the infamous Boston Marathon bombing. As an American citizen and a resident of the Boston area, I feel a great sense of sadness when I think about that horrible day. On April 15, 2013 two brothers brought pain to our nation by setting off those bombs. Lives were lost and many were irreparably harmed. Over the past 36 months, Boston has rebuilt and regained a sense of normality. The trial of the surviving Tsernaev brother has ended with a death penalty sentence, and we have kept moving forward. Just like in Boston, two more [...]

Can Utilizing Knowledge of Cults Help Us with Terrorist Groups?

2018-12-16T18:56:19-05:00April 9th, 2016|Blog, Current Events, Resources and Support|

When is it time to start recognizing that Al Qaeda and other Islamist terror groups are cults? The Times Square bombing attempt is another example of a well-off American who was recruited into the black and white, us versus them and good versus evil thinking that cultists use. We ought to start addressing the root of the problem: people are most susceptible to destructive influence at the most vulnerable times in their lives. Our military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan may have largely moved the war on terror overseas. But we will continue to see radical Islamist terror groups recruiting [...]

Why Calling Daesh/ISIS a Mind Control Cult is of Strategic and Practical Importance

2019-02-13T10:49:47-05:00April 8th, 2016|Blog, Current Events|

This morning, The New York Times published an article entitled “Radicalization of a Belgium Student Turned Bomb Maker Was Invisible.” This piece, written by Alissa J. Rubin, details the conversion of 24-year-old Najim Laachraoui, one of the suicide bombers responsible for the attack of the Belgium airport on March 22. Rubin cites associates and family members of Laachraoui, who all say that while he leaned toward a strict version of Islam, and they did notice changes in his ideology and behavior, they never suspected he would be capable of such violent acts. By all accounts, before his conversion Laachraoui [...]

Protect Americans from Terrorism- Looking Beyond Boston Marathon Bombings

2018-12-16T18:47:56-05:00September 5th, 2013|Blog, Current Events, Resources and Support|

What can we do to protect the American public from attacks like the one that occurred at the finish line of the Boston Marathon? Some have suggested increasing surveillance—more police and cameras in our nation's cities. Others have emphasized the need for greater scrutiny of terrorist lists here and abroad. While directing our attention outwards—putting more eyes on the street—we need also to take a closer look inside the minds of the two young men who carried out the massacre. Of all the questions raised by their attack, none has been more baffling than that of motivation: What could [...]