7 Results

ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province)

Backgrounder

ISKP fighters featured in a June 29, 2019, video entitled “And the Best Outcome is for the Righteous” Key Points Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is an ISIS-affiliated terrorist group based in Afghanistan. The organization is believed to have between 1,500 and 2,200 active members. ISKP’s main goal is to establish and maintain control of territory in Afghanistan on behalf of ISIS. It also frequently directs attacks at civilians, Afghan security forces, and…

September 23, 2021

Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131)

Backgrounder

Key Points NSC-131 is a neo-Nazi group based in the New England region.Members consider themselves soldiers at war with a hostile, Jewish-controlled system that is deliberately plotting the extinction of the white race.NSC-131 seeks to form an underground network of white men who are willing to fight against their perceived enemies through localized direct actions.Members espouse racism, antisemitism and intolerance via the Internet, propaganda distributions and the use of…

October 06, 2020

Incels (Involuntary celibates)

Backgrounder

Key Points Incels are heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic successA subset of the online misogynist “manosphere” that includes Pick Up Artists and Men’s Rights Activists, incels are known for their deep-seated pessimism and profound sense of grievance against womenThe incel ideology is rooted in the belief that women have too much power in the sexual/romantic sphere and ruin incels’ lives by rejecting themIncels are the most…

July 29, 2020

Rise Above Movement (R.A.M.)

Backgrounder

UPDATE: Following the arrest of several key members in 2018, the Rise Above Movement (R.A.M.) remains largely defunct today. The group’s former co-founder, Robert Rundo, has also dealt with legal issues over the years: After being extradited from Romania, Rundo was charged in August 2023 in connection with a series of physical altercations at political rallies throughout California in 2018. Rundo pled guilty in September 2024 to conspiracy to riot and was subsequently released in…

January 22, 2018

Nostra Aetate

Backgrounder

In 1965, the Second Vatican Council made historic changes to church policies and theology. Among them was Nostra Aetate, Latin for "In Our Time," a document that revolutionized the Catholic Church's approach to Jews and Judaism after nearly 2000 years of pain and sorrow. Section four of Nostra Aetate repudiates the centuries-old "deicide" charge against all Jews, stresses the religious bond shared by Jews and Catholics, reaffirms the eternal covenant between God and the People of…

March 05, 2017

Religion in Political Campaigns -- An Interfaith Statement of Principles

Backgrounder

Freedom of religion is one of our nation's most cherished liberties. It is at the very foundation of America. Our nation's Constitution protects religious freedom for all, prohibits religious tests for public office, and mandates separation of church and state. These are essential American ideals and values, which candidates for public office should respect. Candidates for public office are, of course, free to worship as they choose. And they should feel comfortable explaining their…

February 21, 2012

Passion Plays in History and Theology

Backgrounder

The central narrative of Christian theology is the passion, i.e. the trials and crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. There are four different accounts of the passion in the gospels of Christian Scriptures, in which Jews play different roles. All these accounts culminate in the death and resurrection of Jesus as revealing God's saving power available to humanity. Good Friday and Easter celebrate respectively the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the high points of Christian creed and…

June 24, 2003