Jihadism
The Jihadism Special Project offers a range of materials on armed jihad by fundamentalist Islamic groups. This tradition extends back to at least the nineteenth century, but primary emphasis on this site is to contemporary jihad. Materials offered on this site include primary source documents authored by jihadist groups, profiles of jihadist groups, scholarly papers on jihadism, reactions to
jihadism, and media reports on jihadism.
Project Directors:
Jean Rosenfeld
Charles Cameron
CONTEXTUAL INTERPRETATIONS OF JIHAD
READINGS
MAJOR ARTICLES
JIHADIST MAGAZINES AND COMMENTARY
AZAN MAGAZINE
“A Call to Jihad,” Issue 1, March 2013.
COMMENTARY ON AZAN MAGAZINE
Charles Cameron, “Early notes on the first issue of the jihadist magazine, Azan”
DABIQ
Islamic State. DABIQ, Issue 1. The Return of Khilafah
Post Date: 9/14/2014
DABIQ is an official public relations publication of the Islamic State
Islamic State. DABIQ, Issue 2. The Flood
Post Date: 9/14/2014
DABIQ is an official public relations publication of the Islamic State
Islamic State. DABIQ, Issue 3. A Call to Jijrah
Post Date: 9/14/2014
DABIQ is an official public relations publication of the Islamic State
Islamic State. DABIQ, Issue 4. The Failed Crusade
Post Date: 1/14/2015
DABIQ is an official public relations publication of the Islamic State
Islamic State. DABIQ, Issue 5. Remaining and Expanding
Post Date: 1/14/2015
DABIQ is an official public relations publication of the Islamic State
Islamic State. DABIQ, Issue 6. Al-Qa’idah of Waziristan
Post Date: 1/14/2015
DABIQ is an official public relations publication of the Islamic State
Islamic State, “Email to the Family of James Foley”
Post Date: 9/1/2014
COMMENTARY ON DABIQ
Jean Rosenfeld, “Notes on DABIQ , The Online Journal of the IS”
Post Date: 9/15/2014
Charles Cameron, “Notes on Dabiq, Issue 3, Part 1“
Post Date 9/24/2014
DOCUMENTS ON THE HISTORY OF JIHADISM
Abu Bakr Naji, “The Management of Savagery: The Most Critical Stage
Through Which the Umma Will Pass” (Translation by William McCants)
Funding for this translation was provided by the John M. Olin Institute for
Strategic Studies at Harvard University.
“Al-Qa’ida Organization Addresses a Message to Iraqi, Islamic Peoples”
Post Date: 9/19/2014
“Biography of Sheikh Abdullah Azzam”
Post Date: 9/17/2014
Jean Rosenfeld, “Notes on Abdullah Azzam”
Post Date: 9/17/2014
“Defence of Muslim Lands: The First Obligation After Iman”
Post Date: 9/17/2014
JIHADISM ARTICLES/PAPERS BY ACADEMIC SCHOLARS
Charles Cameron, “Islamic Eschatology”
Post Date: 9/1/2014
Jeffrey T. Kenney, “Muslim Rebels Kharijites and the Politics of Extremism in Egypt”
Post Date: 2/7/2015
David Rapoport, “The Four Waves of Rebel Terror and September 11”
Post Date: 9/1/2014
Jean Rosenfeld, “Fire in the Garden: The Religion of bin Laden.”
Post Date: 9/1/2014
Jean Rosenfeld, “Holy Terror: Al Qai’da and Other Fundamentalisms.”
Post Date: 9/1/2014
Phillip Smyth, “The Shite Jihad in Syria and its Regional Effects.”
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2015
Post Date: 2/7/2015
RESPONSES TO JIHADISM BY CLERICS AND SCHOLARS
Abdallah bin Bayyah, “This is Not the Path to Paradise”
“Fatwa on the So-Called ‘Islamic State’ (Formerly ‘Islamic State in Iraq & Syria’)”
MEDIA REPORTS
“The Middle East is full of ancient, mysterious religious sects. The Islamic State is wiping them out.”
Gerard Russell, Washington Post, January 9, 2015.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/09/the-middle-east-is-full-
of-ancient-mysterious-religious-sects-the-islamic-state-is-wiping-them-out/
Contributor: WRSP
“Author’s journey inside ISIS: They’re ‘more dangerous than people realize‘.”
Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, December 25, 2014
http://www.edition.cnn.com/2014/12/22/world/meast/inside-isis-juergen-
todenhoefer/index.html?hpt=hp_c5
Contributor: Jean Rosenfeld
“Islamic Islamic State recruits broadly, not just fighters”
Eric Tucker and Sadie Gurman, Associated Press, December 16, 2014
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/81f6edb84a924937a81c3bdc75eeb577/islamic-state-recruits-broadly-not-just-
fighters
Contributor: WRSP
“Denver Emerges As Model For Countering ISIS Recruiting Tactics”
Dina Temple-Raston, NPR, December 11, 2014
http://www.npr.org/2014/12/11/370156282/denver-emerges-as-model-for-countering-isis-recruiting-tactics
Contributor: WRSP
“Three American teens, recruited online, are caught trying to join the Islamic State”
Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, December 8, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/three-american-teens-recruited-online-are-
caught-trying-to-join-the-islamic-state/2014/12/08/8022e6c4-7afb-11e4-84d4-
7c896b90abdc_story.html?hpid=z1
Contributor: WRSP
“The Roots of the Islamic State’s Appeal”
Shadi Hamid, The Atlantic, October 31, 2014
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/the-roots-of-the-islamic-states-
appeal/382175/?single_page=true
Contributor: WRSP
“Radicalization : Why do Western youth join extremist groups?”
Marian Scott, Montreal Gazette, October 23, 2014
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/radicalization-why-do-western-youth-join-extremist-groups
Contributor: WRSP
“Parents of extremists urged to come out of shadows and help fight radicalization”
Douglas Quan, Montreal Gazette, October 23, 2013
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/Parents+extremists+urged+come+shadows+help+fight
/10322562/story.html
Contributor: WRSP
“New Freedoms in Tunisia Drive Support for ISIS”
David Kirkpatrick, New York Times, October 21, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/world/africa/new-freedoms-in-tunisia-drive-support-for-
isis.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=first-column-region®ion=top-
news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1
“Denmark tries a soft-handed approach to returned Islamist fighters”
Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, October 19, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/denmark-tries-a-soft-handed-approach-to-returned-
islamist-fighters/2014/10/19/3516e8f3-515e-4adc-a2cb-c0261dd7dd4a_story.html
“Joining Islamic State is about ‘sex and agression,’ not religion”
Arie W. Kruglanski, Reuters, October 16, 2014
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/10/16/joining-islamic-state-is-about-sex-and-aggression-not-
religion/
“How 2 French girls were lured to jihad online”
Lori Hinnant, Associated Press, October 10, 2014
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/017703d2f69141c39996d868a456d7e1/how-2-french-girls-were-lured-jihad- online
“Families torn apart as young Western women join jihadist cause”
Nicholas Vinocur and Pauline Mevel, Reuters, October 9, 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/09/us-mideast-crisis-girls-insight-idUSKCN0HY0RA20141009
“How to talk to terrorists”
Jonathan Powell, The Guardian, October 7, 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/07/-sp-how-to-talk-to-terrorists-isis-al- aida?CMP=ema_565#comment-41917012
“American explains why he’s fighting ISIL”
Sophie Cousins, USA TODAY, October 7, 2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/06/jordan-matson-joins-kurds-against-islamic-
state/16796487/
“Prominent Muslim Sheik Issues Fatwa Against ISIS Violence”
Dina Temple-Raston, NPR, September 25, 2014
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/25/351277631/prominent-muslim-sheikh-issues-fatwa-against-isis-
violence?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news
“ISIS’ Harsh Brand of Islam Is Rooted in Austere Saudi Creed”
David Kirkpatrick, New York Times, September 24, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/middleeast/isis-abu-bakr-baghdadi-caliph-wahhabi.html
“British Muslims Release Fearless Message to ISIS Members Who Use Religion as an Excuse for Violence
Kevin Boyd, Independent Journal Review, September 17, 2014
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/09/173312-british-muslim-leaders-denounce-isis-heretics-muslims-religious-
duty-oppose/
“Saudi clerics declare Isis terrorism a ‘heinous crime’ under sharia law”
Ian Black, The Guardian, September 17, 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/17/saudi-clerics-fatwa-declares-terrorism-heinous-crime-
sharia-law
“The apocalyptic magazine the Islamic State uses to recruit and radicalize foreigners”
Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, September 16, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/16/the-apocalyptic-magazine-the-islamic-
state-uses-to-recruit-and-radicalize-foreigners/?tid=hp_mm&hpid=z3
“ISIS Starts Recruiting in Istanbul’s Vulnerable Suburbs”
Alev Scott and Alexander Christie-Miller, Newsweek, September 12, 2014
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/19/exclusive-how-istanbul-became-recruiting-ground-islamic-state-
269247.html
“Why Muslims fare better in America than in Europe”
Economist, September 6, 2014
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21615611-why-muslims-fare-better-america-europe-islamic-
yet-integrated
“ISIS vs. mainstream Muslims: The media war”
Daniel Burke, CNN, September 4, 2014
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/09/04/isis-vs-mainstream-muslims-the-media-battle/
“It ain’t half hot here, mum: Why and how Westerners go to fight in Syria and Iraq”
Sarah Birke, The Economist, August 30, 2014
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21614226-why-and-how-westerners-go-fight-syria-
and-iraq-it-aint-half-hot-here-mum
“Inside the Mind of the Western Jihadist”
Sohrab Ahmari, Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2014
http://online.wsj.com/articles/sohrab-ahmari-inside-the-mind-of-the-western-jihadist-1409352541
“Western military intervention is what ISIS wants”
Andrea Tornielli, Vatican Insider, August 26, 2014
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/iraq-irak-introvigne-35980/
“Islamic State Recruits Are Young, Angry And Rebellious, But Are They Actually Religious?”
Jessica Elgot, The Huffington Post, August 22, 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/21/isis-recruits-are-young-angry-and-rebellious-but-are-they-
actually-religious_n_5697744.html
“ISIS Email To Family Of Executed American Journalist James Foley Revealed”
Andrew Hart, The Huffington Post, August 21, 2014
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/140821/text-last-email-islamic-state-
sent-foley-family
WEBSITES OFFERING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Quranic Arabic Corpus
This site offers an English Translation of the Holy Quran and was established by the Language Research Group at the University of Leeds.
Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement
This site offers Aa collection of the Hadith. The Center is a partnership between the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation, & USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
Combatting Terrorism Center, U.S. Military Academy
Among the resources offered by CTC is: Nelly Lahoud, Stuart Caudill, Liam Collins, Gabriel Koehler-Derrick, Don Rassler, and Muhammad al-`Ubaydi, Letters from Abbottabad: Bin Ladin Sidelined?”
Jihadology
One of the foremost sites for jihad-related source material in both Arabic and English.
Carmel Center on the outskirts of Waco, Texas, the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventist movement had been in existence for 26 years. It had been founded by Ben Roden (1902-1978) in 1955, and, in 1981, the movement was led by his wife 
Koresh to a contest to see which of them could raise her from the dead. Koresh declined and reported the disinterment to the McLennan County Sheriff’s Department. The deputies declined to go to Mount Carmel without proof that a body had been removed from its grave, so Koresh and some of his men purchased weapons for protection and went to Mount Carmel to try to photograph the corpse without being detected by Roden. While they were there, Roden fired at them, and Koresh shot back. Sheriff’s deputies arrived to arrest Koresh and his men (Doyle with Wessinger and Wittmer 2012:65-66; Haldeman 2007:55-59).
large building by listening to Koresh’s Bible studies. By this time, the little houses had been torn down. Breault and other former Branch Davidians alleged to the Sheriff’s Department that the Branch Davidians were going to commit group suicide during Passover week, but nothing happened (Doyle with Wessinger and Wittmer 2012:71-72).
of a concrete vault located at the base of the central tower, where the young children and their mothers had taken shelter. The tank gassed that area from 11:31 to 11:55 a.m. (Hardy with Kimball 2001:275-76, 285). By 12:07 p.m. the first fire was visible in a second-floor window, and fire rapidly engulfed the building. Nine people escaped, suffering moderate to severe burns. Seventy-six Branch Davidians of all ages died.
times priests in the Jerusalem temple were believed to place a sacrificed lamb on an altar to burn to atone for the priest’s mistakes or sins. Lois Roden had added to the Daily observance the consumption of grape juice and an unleavened cracker, the Emblems representing Christ’s blood and body given for humanity (Interview with Clive Doyle, July 3, 2004; Martin 2009:22-23; Haldeman 2007:34, 88). This practice was discontinued after April 19, 1993.
diligent study he had been unable to unravel the mysteries of the biblical book of Revelation and, hence, of the time of the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus. From 1831 to 1843 he estimated that he had brought his message to a half million persons. By Miller’s calculation, the return of Jesus would happen between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. When latter date passed without anything significant happening, Miller, like many others who have prophesied the end, did not lose faith in his prediction. Instead, he adjusted his calculations and reset the date for October 22, 1844. Expectations heightened as summer turned into fall, but the date again came and went without incident. Those who had believed Miller’s prophecy experienced what came to be called the “Great Disappointment , ” and his prophetic career came to an end. But even that second experience of disconfirmation was not sufficient to quell completely an interest in the imminent dawn of the millennium (Rowe 2008: 192-225).
guided by revelation from God in their own time. Ellen G. White, who became the group’s prophet, came to call that contemporary revelation “present truth” or “new light.” The twin foci of observing the Lord’s Day on Saturday and maintaining the expectation of Jesus’ imminent return to initiate the final judgment would remain central characteristics of Seventh-day Adventism from the time of its origins in the small band of New Hampshire Millerites through its entire history. The openness to receiving prophetic “present truth” introduced a principle of dynamism into the broad Adventist tradition that played an especially important role in the origins of both the Davidians and the Branch Davidians (see Gallagher 2013) .
immigrant to the United States who joined the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in 1919 in Illinois . As Houteff studied the Bible, he developed two distinctive ideas that were out of conformity with established SDA doctrine. First, expressing a vivid sectarian indictment of the SDA Church, he disagreed with Ellen G. White that the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7 as being worthy of entering the new Jerusalem referred to the Adventists themselves. Instead, he argued that the Church had become complacent and pervaded by “worldly” influences. He saw his own mission as purifying the church from within and gathering a truly faithful 144,000 in anticipation of the Lord’s return. Second, he argued that it was his task to lead the purified 144,000 to the ancient land of Israel , where they would meet Christ at his return. Both the Davidian and Branch Davidian traditions developed an elitist self-conception according to which they would be the first to be redeemed upon the return of Jesus. Borrowing a concept from the agricultural festivals of the ancient Israelites, Ben Roden , one of the leaders who followed Houteff, described the Branch Davidians as “the first of the first fruits – wave-sheaf , vanguard NOT wave-loaves – 144,000, army” of the final harvest of salvation (Ben Roden 1959: 4).
known by that name ( Victor Houteff 1930) . The first volume was quickly followed by a second and throughout the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s Houteff produced multiple religious tracts and collections of his sermons that were distributed by the Davidian publishing operation to a growing list of SDA Church members. In February, 1943 he published The Leviticus of the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists , which details the constitution, by-laws, system of government, and form of education for the Davidian community (Victor Houteff 1943) . Much of the one hundred page document is devoted to citing the authorizing precedents from both the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.
generation religious group. Kenneth Newport suggests that at least some of the 100 or so members of the Mount Carmel community probably left after Houteff’s death, but those who remained faced the task of developing new leadership (Newport 2006: 66). Into that breach entered Houteff’s wife, Florence, along with several other contenders. Soon after Victor’s death, Florence began to make predictions about the future of the community, apparently including the idea that Victor himself would be resurrected. Claiming that on his deathbed Victor had urged her to take over his position, Florence quickly and persistently made her case to the Executive Council of the Davidian Association and eventually garnered their recognition.
Code, of which nine volumes had been published during her husband’s life (Florence Houteff 1955-1958). To this day there remains controversy about whether Florence ‘s “new Codes” contain the genuine teaching of her husband. But by far the most dramatic and controversial move that Florence made was to set the date of the beginning of the end times. Echoing William Miller’s decision that produced the Great Disappointment, Florence proclaimed that at the end of the Passover season, on April 22, 1959, the events of the end would begin to take place (Newport 2006:101). She urged the Davidians to assemble at the Mount Carmel Center, and some 1,000 did.
person of Benjamin Roden (1902-1978). After joining the SDA church in 1940 Roden and his wife Lois (1905-1986) had first encountered Victor Houteff’s Shepherd’s Rod message sometime in the mid-1940s. It appears that the Rodens had first visited Mount Carmel no later than 1945. They returned several times over the next decade, and when Victor Houteff died in 1955, Ben Roden was confident enough of himself that he made an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the community.
Last Judgment was again delayed. But Roden’s death did not threaten the community with disintegration because his wife Lois was already poised to assume the responsibility of leadership, although the Roden’s son George did dispute her right of succession and would remain a serious irritant to the Mount Carmel community for some time. Like her husband, Lois based her claims on charismatic grounds. She had begun to receive revelations in 1977, and they were the driving force for her innovative theological program, particularly the idea that the Holy Spirit was feminine (Lois Roden 1980). George resorted to more traditional grounds for his claims, asserting that his father had appointed him to a central role in the movement, since Ben Roden believed that his sons would live to see the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem .
behalf, directing his vitriol first against his mother and then against her and David Koresh, who, as Vernon Howell, joined the Mount Carmel community in 1981. George eventually succeeded in winning a leadership election in 1984, after which he assertively changed the name of Mount Carmel to “Rodenville” and vigorously argued for his primacy. It took a complex series of events, including multiple hearings in court, George’s conviction on contempt of court charges, and his 1989 arrest for murder and eventual confinement in a mental institution, before Koresh could enjoy uncontested leadership of the Branch Davidians.
offshoots from that tradition. In the early days of the SDA Church, James White, a founder of the SDAs along with his wife Ellen, published a periodical entitled The Present Truth. On the first page of its first issue in 1849, he cited the promise of the author of II Peter 1:12 to the early Christian church, “I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” White argued that such present truth could not be limited to the apostolic age but must at least potentially be continually available. He wrote that “Present truth must be oft repeated, even to those who are established in it. This was needful in the apostles ( sic ) day, and it certainly is no less important for us, who are living just before the close of time.” (James White 1849:1). Similarly, with regard to the observance of the Sabbath on Saturday, Ellen G. White wrote in her second volume of Testimonies for the Church (1885) that “The present truth, which is a test to the people of this generation, was not a test to the people of generations far back. If the light which now shines upon us in regard to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment had been given to the generations in the past, God would have held them accountable for that light.” (Ellen White 1885: 693).
second son of Rulon’s fourth (and favorite) wife, Marilyn Steed. Rulon Jeffs left behind twenty-two wives, many of whom Warren married. Warren Jeffs’ leadership marked a significant shift in key FLDS practices and policies. Jeffs sought to solidify his power and authority in the new policy changes. He called for greater centralization of political and economic power in the person of the prophet. Though the FLDS had already moved to the “one man doctrine” of First Ward governance, Jeffs expanded this doctrine to a new level. Jeffs centralized finances and ordered business owners in the community to surrender ownership. He excommunicated long-term community leaders Dan and Louis Barlow and twenty other FLDS men who challenged the new rules and practices. Their property was seized and their wives and children reassigned to men loyal to Jeffs (Evans 2011). This culminated in a mass exodus of 700 members led by Winston Blackmore to another FLDS community in Bountiful in Canada (B.C.). Jeffs also ousted several hundred teenage boys (Lost Boys”) for violations of community rules. These self-aggrandizing actions created new divisions and conflicts within the FLDS. Critics charged Jeffs with blatant disregard for church law and its officers. It was in this contentious context that Jeffs set about to establish a new FLDS community in Texas.
Critics suggest that Jeffs’ intent was to separate his most loyal followers from rest of the fundamentalists in Colorado City and Hildale. Indeed, Jeffs claimed that the Lord had rejected Colorado City as a place where the spirit of God could dwell and that he was led by God to build a new city of Zion and a new temple. Only the most righteous or elect could reside in the new YFZ community. The temple foundation was dedicated in January, 2005. The population of the ranch was estimated to be about 500 at that time.
In June, 2005, Jeffs was charged with sexual assault of a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly arranging a marriage between a 14 year-old girl and her 19 year-old first cousin. Jeffs became a fugitive to avoid arrest. Photos were later released showing Jeffs celebrating his marriage to an underage girl who was only 12. In late 2005, Jeffs was put on the FBI’s most wanted list. Jeffs was captured in Nevada in August, 2006. He stood trial in St. George, Utah in 2007 and was found guilty on two counts of being an accomplice to rape. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. But the Utah Supreme Court later overturned the ruling and ordered a new trial due to faulty instructions given to jurors. Jeffs was still in custody when the state of Texas launched a raid on the YFZ property the following year.
over time: whether there will arise competing prophets to challenge Jeffs’ authority, whether new factions will emerge, or if out of practical necessity those who administer the day-to-day operations of the church become de facto leaders who develop their own authority. Jeffs has imposed even stricter and more rigid requirements on members since his incarceration, dissolving marriages, declaring a moratorium on sex, and attempting to purge the doubters (Dobner 2012; Hollenhorst 2011). He has also issued a series of revelations declaring God’s judgment on the nation for imprisoning him, warning of earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, storms, and floods. But it seems highly unlikely that Jeffs will ever be released from prison, given his life sentence plus twenty years. This permanent sequestration may empower some FLDS members to accept future changes in leadership.
of a plurality of wives to a select group of his followers in the 1840s. By the time of his death in 1844, according to scholar George D. Smith’s analysis, at least 196 men and 717 women had entered the practice privately (Smith 2008:573-639). His vision for the “new and everlasting covenant of marriage” became part of LDS scripture on July 12, 1843 with the 132 nd section of the Doctrine and Covenants. He positioned the uniquely Mormon interpretation of the significance of marriage, in the restoration of the model of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. According to the revelation, “Celestial marriage” was marriage for time and eternity. Men with priesthood authority had the power to seal men and women for eternity. Essential for the highest level of salvation in what Smith described as the “Celestial” kingdom, Smith interpreted plural marriage “as a uniquely exalted form of ‘celestial marriage’—the ‘further order’ of the patriarchal order of marriage mentioned in Doctrine of Covenants” (Bradley 1993:2)
again as a national issue. Smoot was not himself a polygamist, but the issue was whether he would be loyal to the laws of the United States or those of his church. In response to this new pressure, President Joseph F. Smith in April conference, 1904 announced the “Second Manifesto” that added the threat of excommunication to those who failed to follow the prohibition against plural marriages. The document decried allegations that new marriages had occurred “with the sanction, consent or knowledge of the Church” (Allen and Leonard 1976:443).
state rolled over the rocky roadbeds leading into town, Governor Howard Pyle justified the raid over the radio, announcing his fight against “insurrection within [ Arizona’s] own borders,” with the intent “to protect the lives and future of 263 children . . . . the product and the victims of the foulest conspiracy . . . . a community dedicated to the production of white slaves. . . . degrading slavery.” He elaborated further on this theme.
nine of the warrants were for individuals who lived on the Utah side of town. The charges included: rape, statutory rape, carnal knowledge, polygamous living, cohabitation, bigamy, adultery, and misappropriation of school funds (Bradley 1993:131). The raid sought to “rescue 263 children from virtual bondage under the communal United Effort Plan,” according to Attorney General Paul LaPrade. “The principle objective is to rescue these children from a life-time of immoral practices without their ever having had an opportunity to learn of or observe the outside world and its concepts of decent living” (LaPrade 1953).
difference. The Johnson meetinghouse at the center of the community in Colorado City is the size of two LDS stake centers and is the backdrop for group worship services, community dances, and community business meetings. The central meeting space holds an audience of between 1,500 and 2,500. Also, the FLDS hold worship meetings throughout the week as was true in the nineteenth century LDS church. Like the LDS, fundamentalists wear sacred priesthood undergarments and choose modest clothing over modern popular styles.