Abstract

This paper presents an interpretive model of religious persecution that aligns the psychological, ideological, and theological dimensions of the human condition and its vulnerability to harmful binary logic. It is intended to outline a deeper psychological synthesis that promotes empathic insight to challenge the destructive tendencies of the extremist mindset. The authors advocate a psychospiritual, sociocultural interpretation of group identity to illustrate the processes through which Islamic extremist groups exploit individual existential uncertainty and draw upon divine messaging to advance their ideological position. A case study is applied to expose a covert, yet deliberately orchestrated, campaign of violence led by a subset of extremist Muslims seeking to eradicate a minority Muslim group—the Ahmadiyya. Our intent in discussing the ideological frameworks and psychosocial tendencies of such groups is to expose the mechanics of their fragmenting processes. Such actions reveal the innate human drive to eliminate competitive threat and retain sole authority of the desired object—in this case the doctrine of religious purity.