ABSTRACT
The two previous chapters dealt with dissident organizations linked with religion and ethnicity-two of the most basic forms of identifi cation available to individuals. Ethnic or national identity is generally diffi cult to change. Even if one becomes a naturalized citizen, one may still be regarded as foreign, or perhaps just different. In states where communal violence has occurred, shared citizenship has not prevented violence between groups that are perceived to be different. Similarly, religion has formed one of the more basic identifi ers for members of a society. While some individuals can and do change religions, most individuals do not. Personal, family, and peer groups may reinforce the religious identity to a suffi cient degree to make conversion relatively rare. Even if individuals are not particularly active in the religion of their group, they will still often have a cultural identifi cation with that religion and be affected by the values that are inherent within it. Of the religious groups discussed in Chapter 5, Aum Shinrikyo was the one exception in this regard since its members voluntarily chose to join and become devoted to the sect and its leader. The followers of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, or Sikhism, on the other hand, are much less likely to be composed of converts or persons who have recently joined.
