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Seeker9 ji


It would appear that way, however, there have been and continue to be in the US fanatical members of Christianity and Judaism (here in smaller percentages) whose methods of choice include bombs and sharpshooting (often associated with targeted assassinations).  Notorious are extremists within the Christian Identity Movement.


One reason why you hear less about it in this decade of the 21rst century is the result of relentless law enforcement and changes in the US Federal Criminal Code that result in long sentences, and frequently several consecutive life sentences, with incarceration in federal penitentiaries that are designed especially for the criminal who is motivated by religious or political ideology.


Probably a turning point was the use of RICO statutes to apprehend and prosecute them. RICO stands for Racketeer Influcned and Corrupt Organizations Act. RICO was very successful in putting members of organized crime (Mafia, Cosa Nostra) away for a long time in the 1980s and 90s, RICO  was so successful that federal law enforcement began to apply it to the prosecution of religious extremists who were associated with hate-movements.


RICO has its critics among civil libertarians because it fosters an attitude to shoot first and ask questions later. Not unlike religious extremists in the Muslim faith, Christian extremists had networks of supporters available to hide them and provide a range of supports and resources, and they would go underground for long periods of time. Before RICO they were hard to catch and hard to prosecute. IMHO, unlike Muslim majority societies  the average US citizen is less likely to justify/soft-pedal/ignore crimes driven by religious ideology. Even strong objections by civil rights lawyers fall on mostly indifferent ears. And there have been serious problems with RICO enforcement in the civil rights arena.


Another reason for the relative disappearance of non-Muslim fanatics who engage in terrorism and murder is the sophistication of advocacy groups like the Southern Poverty Leadership Conference. They take a different approach. They outspend the defenders of religious extremists, who are charged with hate crimes, in court pulling every legal trick from the law until the defendant and/or his sponsors run out of money.


That is one kaur's view from the US. And I am sure that there are other opinions about that are worth hearing.


Today most of these individuals are in jail, but RICO has made religion-based crimes unattractive.


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