The MKO, Fruit of the Tree of Extremism
The case of the MKO indicates that the roots of extremism are based in cultic manipulation not religious beliefs. Mohammed Jebara who is chief Imam and resident scholar at the Cordova Spiritual Education and writer of books and articles on Islam, suggests that the extremism is originated from cult-like exploitation. “Most cults have two main distinguishing characteristics: A great opposition to critical thinking with an insistence on blindly following a set of dogmatic ideals, all the while giving their followers the false sense of self-determination and free choice,” writes Jebara.”