Number 15. Hai'a: Known officially as the Committee for
the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Hai'a is a government organization
in Saudi Arabia tasked with enforcing the country's Sharia Law. Prior to 2007, officers would patrol the streets
with canes and sticks, and would harshly punish anyone breaking the religious laws. These include a dress code, strict separation
of men and women, enforcing the call to prayer and any other behaviour seen to go against
the morals of Islam. The Hai'a has gained notoriety internationally
due to their severe punishments they inflict, and human rights organizations have denounced
both their actions and those of Saudi Arabia. Their headquarters in Riyadh is located within
a square used to execute criminals and offenders of Sharia Law. People are publicly beheaded for not just
criminal activity, but also homosexuality, witchcraft and adultery. Further tragic is the fact that women who
have been raped have been charged with adultery and executed. Hai'a gained great animosity within Saudi
Arabia and the international community when on March 11, 2002, an all-girls school in
Mecca caught fire, and members of Hai'a prevented girls from escaping the fire in order to prevent
them from coming into contact with male rescue workers, and becuse they were not wearing
the appropriate islamic dress; 15 perished as a result. Things have started to change for Hai'a, as
in 2007 the Saudi royal family has restricted their authority and they no longer carry the
canes and sticks used for flogging, and just recently in 2016, the Hai'a was further stripped
of their powers, making them unable to enforce the laws, and instead limiting them to report
offenses to official law enforcement. Number 14. Blackwater: A name now synonymous with controversy,
the group has renamed itself twice. Blackwater is an American private security
contractor founded in 1997 by Erik Prince of Michigan. The organization provides military training
to support military and law enforcement under contract by the US government. The security section was created in 2002 and
received its first contract in 2003 protecting the CIA operatives tasked with tracking down
Osama Bin Laden. It has also seen missions in Iraq and Afghanistan
alongside coalition forces. The organization saw controversy for its actions
in Iraq, leading to Prince facing a congressional hearing and possible criminal charges. Contractors have been accused of negligence
and unethical practises resulting in the deaths of civilians and their own personnel. Blackwater employees have also been accused
of the murder of Iraqi vice president Adel Abdul Mahdi, though this has not been proven. To date, the most controversial action of
Blackwater occurred on February 16, 2005; while in Bagdad on an escourt mission, four
Blackwater guards opened fire on a car and up to 70 rounds pierced the thin metal. Afterwards, the convoy drove off, leaving
the driver's fate unknown. While Prince was not charged with any crimes,
the US government declined to renew Blackwater's Iraq contract in 2009. Blackwater changed its name to Xe in 2009
and later Academi in 2011, which it currently operates under. However, the name Blackwater is still used
to refer to the organization by outsiders, and the controversy behind them will never
fade away. Number 13. The Bilderbergs: More of a conference than
an actual organization, The Bilderberg Group is an annual conference between European and
North American political, industrial and economic elites. It was first held in 1954 as a way to increase
relations between Western Europe and North America, an ideology known as Atlanicism. To this day, the conference continues to promote
the free market between Western countries, and to further investment globally. While seemingly harmless, the Bilderbergs
have been accused of attempting to take over the global market for the rich elite, being
part of the New World Order conspiracy. Critics have pointed out their lack of transparency
and accountability, due to their strict secrecy and selective choice of attendees to the conferences. The idea of the group attempting to impose
a single-world government and planned economy is popular amongst right-wing supporters,
while those on the left accuse the Bilderbergs of conspiring to impose a capitalist dominant
world and ending economic equality for capital gain. Former Cuban president Fidel Castro even spoke
of the Bilderbergs, claiming they were lobbying to create a world government free of borders
by manipulating the public for their own gains. Those who have attended the conferences have
quickly denied the accusations, and have claimed they aim to create more global cooperation
and a sense of global community as opposed to global dominance. However, they remain a highly debated topic,
especially in a world rife with conflict and with nations now fighting with economics rather
than weapons. Number 12. Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints: A religious
group so controversial and tainted in dark history it makes the Westboro Baptist Church
look saintly. The Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints is a
splinter group of the Church of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormon Church. The FLDS practises the traditional values
Mormonism was founded on, and has been shunned by the mainstream Mormon churches for their
actions. The split began over the Mormon church ending
polygamy, which Mormon founder Joseph Smith claimed was a divine command in order to enter
heaven. The FLDS is based in the border towns of Hildale,
Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. Church leaders run an authoritative community,
with women required to wear traditional dress and work in so called traditional roles, mainly
homemaking. The FBI and state police have conducted countless
raids on their communities due to the church conducting polygamous marriages of grown men
to underage girls, some even in their preteens. The Current leader, Warren Jeffs, has served
several prison sentences and is currently serving a life sentence, but still has firm
control over the FLDS members. Former members have described being forced
from their homes by the Hildale Sheriffs office under Jeffs' orders, separated from their
family and forbidden from ever returning. Both the Utah and Arizona state police don't
trust the sheriffs office, and there have been several attempts to disband the local
police there. If people are travelling between Utah and
Arizona, and happen to come across Hildale, it's best to drive right through, as the population
has been known to be unfriendly to outsiders. Number 11. The Lords Resistance Army: One of Africa's
many militias, but also one of the harshest and scariest to exist. The Lord's Resistance Army is based in several
central African nations, mostly operating in and around Uganda. The group is led by Joseph Kony, and currently
has between 300 and 400 members. While their ideology is disputed, academics
state they are a mix of Christian militants and Acholi nationalists who wish to found
an Old-Testament Christian Uganda with laws following the Ten Commandments. The Lord's Resistance Army has been accused
of countless human rights violations and sectarian violence towards minorities and non-Christians. Kony and his followers are notorious for kidnapping
children and either turning them into child soldiers, turning them into forced labour
or forcing them into sex-slavery. One of their worst actions was during Christmas
of 2008, when LRA fighters murdered 143 people and kidnapped 180 at a concert sponsered by
the Catholic church in Faradje, DR Congo. Several humanitarian groups, including Amnesty
International and Invisible Children have advocated for foreign advisors to train and
aid African nations to help fight the LRA into submission. Kony's current whereabouts or whether he is
even still alive is unknown, but he is suspected to be hiding in South Sudan or Central African
Republic, gathering any strength he can to prepare for his next action. Number 10. United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia: Colombia
has had an unfortunate history of drug cartels and civil war for much of the 20th century. While left-wing groups such as FARC are well
known to have caused much of the atrocities over the years, little is known about the
right-wing vigilante groups founded in responce. The United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia,
or AUC, was the largest of these right wing groups, and they were truly malicious to say
the least. The AUC aimed to end the FARC insurgency and
return Colombia to peace, but their methods to do so were extreme and downright criminal. In 1997, shortly after their founding, AUC
fighters massacred 30 people in the town of Mapiripan in horrific ways; many were shot
or hacked to pieces with machetes and chainsaws. During a trial by the Inter-American Court
of Human Rights years later, the Colombian government admitted that members of the federal
army participated in the massacre, though not under direct orders from the government
or military officers. Furthermore, the AUC became heavily involved
in drug production and trafficking as a way to fund their armed campaign. To this day, the Colombian government and
military has been accused of supporting and participating in AUCs campaigns, through financial
and even military assistance, a claim the government denies. The militia began to disarm and stand down
in 2006 after a series of crackdowns by the government with US support, and eventually
folded in 2008. Number 9. The Ku Klux Klan: One of the many dark memories
of the United States, the Ku Klux Klan is a racist religious organization mostly based
in the Southern United States. Founded by discontent Southerners in the aftermath
of the American Civil War, the KKK first emerged in 1865 as a violent opposition group towards
Reconstruction and abolitionism. Klansmen wear white robes with eye holes,
which was used due to African-Americans being more superstitious during the Civil War era,
and would be thought to mistake Klansmen for ghosts. The KKK was unforgiving, and would engage
in night rides, mobs and lynchings throughout the south. Three incarnations of the Klan has existed,
with its peak being between 1924 and 1925 with between 3 million and 6 million members. Their most famous symbol is the cross burnings
they would perform, both as a ceremonial purpose and to intimidate opposition to their activities. The KKK became a household name again during
the Civil Rights Movement, where they pushed for continued segregation of blacks and whites
from society. They would constantly clash with activists
and even had members in government throughout the south, though in secret because by then
the Klan had been labelled an illegal terrorist organization by the federal government. The KKK currently has only around 5,000 members,
and its power is no longer as strong as it once was, but they continue to be a stain
on American history for its long life full of hatred. Number 8. Skull and Bones: With such an eerie name to
begin with, Skull and Bones is a secret society made up of senior undergraduates of Yale University. The society dates back to 1932 and was founded
in the aftermath of a dispute between the Linonia, Brothers in Unity and the Calliopean
Society over the results of that year's Phi beta Kappa awards. Several notable historical people have been
members of Skull and Bones, including Presidents Howard Taft, George W. Bush, and Secretary
of State John Kerry. Skull and Bones owns several properties around
New England, with its main hall gaining the nickname The Tomb due to its eerie resemblance
to a tomb found in cemeteries. While most of their confirmed mischief is
nothing more than the theft of keepsakes from rival Yale societies, Skull and Bones has
become the subject of various conspiracy theories in recent times. Many believe the society to be some form of
cult like organization, and have even accused it of working with Illuminati to dominate
society as a global power. The 2004 Presidential election saw alumni
Bush and Kerry go head to head in the main election, further fueling the idea Skull and
Bones is seeking power in high office in order to implement their malevolent goals. Skull and Bones is currently active, and remains
secret to outsiders, with the only way to know what goes on within the group is by becoming
a member. Number 7. Order of the Solar Temple: Claiming to be
the predecessors of the Knights Templar, The Order of the Solar Temple was a French secret
society founded in 1985. The group was a armageddon group who wished
to, in their own words, establish “correct notions of authority and power in the world,”
and prepare humanity for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The main headquarters was based in Zurich,
Switzerland, with its top ranking members remaining anonymous even from members. Things took a tragic turn in 1994, when members
from Quebec, Canada murdered a three-month old baby in what was believed to be a cult
ritual. The ritual was allegedly ordered by Solar
Temple cofounder Joseph Di Mambro, saying the infant was the Antichrist. Several days later, a series of mass murders
and suicides occurred in Western Switzerland and Quebec. Among the dead in Switzerland, it included
a journalist, a civil servant and even a town mayor. Swiss and Canadian authorities quickly took
action and began a crackdown on the group, seizing various records kept by the respective
sects. Police were able to thwart several further
mass suicides throughout the late 1990s. However, a further 16 bodies were found in
a star formation in the Vercors Mountains of France on December 23, 1995 and five more
were found in a charred home Saint-Casimir, Quebec on March 23, 1997. Since then, Solar Temple has remained largely
inactive, but it is unknown if the organization continues to exist or not. With their secretive behaviour, it is left
up in the air if they are still active. Number 6. Khmer Rouge: An example of pure evil and destruction,
the Khmer Rouge started as a communist militant group in Cambodia in the late 1960s. Founded by Pol Pot, the group advocated for
socialist nationalism and aimed to return Cambodia to its agrarian roots. Khmer Rouge received support largely from
North Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War, and met with heavy resistance
by American forces during the Cambodian Incursion of 1970. In April 1975, Khmer Rouge forces captured
the capital of Phnom Penh and took power. The major cities were completely evacuated
and people were relocated to the countryside to create a country based on agriculture. The regime also began the extermination of
so-called intellectuals, in order to prevent the threat of an armed resistance from within
the country. It is estimated a total of 1 million Cambodians
died during the Pol Pot regime, with people being killed for something as trivial as wearing
glasses, since it was seen as a sign of intellectualism. The Khmer Rouge soon found itself making enemies
with former allies, and in 1979, Vietnamese forces invaded and ousted Pol Pot, establishing
Cambodia as a puppet of Vietnam and ending the genocide. However, the Khmer Rouge remained an active
insurgent group until the 1990s. In 1993, a UN commission reestablished the
monarchy of Cambodia, and the remainder of the Khmer Rouge finally surrendered in 1999. Number 5. Ulster Defence Association: Those who know
of The Troubles in Northern Ireland overwhelmingly have heard of the various Irish Republican
Armies and other Republican paramilitaries. Almost left behind are the various loyalist
paramilitaries, whose goal was for Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK and to fight
against the perceived Catholic Republican threat. The largest of these paramilitaries was the
Ulster Defence Association, a right-wing protestant group whose goal was to end Republicanism
in Northern Ireland. While acting as a peaceful organization, the
group was armed and would conduct attacks against Catholics and republicans under the
name Ulster Freedom Fighters. At its peak in 1972, there were over 40,000
members, but has since declined in strength. Of those killed by the UD A, 80% were civilians
of Catholic background or suspected to be Catholic. Opponents of the UDA have charged the organization
of having no real targeting strategy, and would target random people in revenge killings
simply because they were believed to be Catholic, though this accusation is still in debate. Members have conducted some of the worst massacres
during the conflict, including the Miltown Massacre, killing three, and the Greysteele
Massacre, which left 8 dead and 13 injured. The Organization went into a ceasefire in
October 1996, and officially ended its armed campaign in November 2007; however, in continues
to exist as a community development organization, but the memory of their brutal acts continue
to cause anger in Northern Ireland to this day. Number 4. The Church of Scientology: Not much introduction
is needed for this group as they have gained wide attention is recent years. Founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1953, The Church
of Scientology is an organization and religious group promoting their belief system. They believe in self help through a process
called auditing, where people are subjected to re-experience traumatic events from their
past in order to become free of the limits they are being held back by. Scientology has become very wealthy through
membership donations, and has attracted many well-known celebrities, most notably Tom Cruise,
John Travolta and Beck. Scientology has become the target of massive
criticism for apparent financial dishonesty and harassment. Several former members have reported and even
filmed being harassed by members of Scientology in public and to great extent. Current chairman, David Miscavige has also
had much criticism and even accusations of criminal activity; namely, Miscavige's wife,
Michele, disappeared from the public eye in 2007, and friends and family have claimed
not to have seen her since. Miscavige claims she is still working with
Scientology, but away from the public for her privacy, but people have alleged she was
either kidnapped and has been kept in confinement, or even murdered for making comments critical
of Scientology. While the Church has become recognized as
a religion in several countries, including the United States, many more continue to refuse
their status and classify them as a cult. The government of France even fined the church
$900,000 for fraud charges, and their fight for further recognision appears to have stalled
for the time being. Number 3. The Bald Knobbers: Active between 1883 and
1889, The Bald Knobbers was a vigilante group operating in the Ozark region of Missouri. The state had been a border state during the
American Civil War, and the population were divided almost evenly between Union and Confederate
supporters. The Bald Knobbers was started by a group of
Unionist Missourians who wished to fight off a series of attacks by suspected Confederate
sympathizers, who murdered 40 people around Taney County with no person being convicted. Bald Knobbers would wear black masks with
two extensions at the top similar to bunny ears, in order to both conceal their identities
and inflict fear on their opposition. While initially being praised as heroes, the
public soon turned against them after members were accused of involvement in various criminal
activities. Pro-Confederates started the Anti-Bald Knobbers
and the two were in constant conflict with heated debates and direct fighting. Both groups were involved in lynchings, night
rides, and several shootouts with criminal gangs and each other. Missouri Governor Marmaduke finally put his
foot down and began rounding up members of both gangs during the late 1880s, resulting
in several criminal convictions and executions of Bald Knobbers and Anti-Bald Knobbers. The story inspired the 1919 silent film, The
Shepard of the Hills, and the groups continue to be the subject of folklore in Missouri
today. Number 2. KGB: The adversary to the CIA during the Cold
War, the KGB was the Soviet intelligence services starting in 1954. It gained the reputation of being the most
effective intelligence gathering organization during its existence, as it would have agents
assigned as workers in Soviet embassies and consulates across the globe, who could gather
intelligence on the country they worked in; if caught, these agents would be protected
by diplomatic immunity, and the host country could take no action to persecute them. The KGB would also have agents infiltrate
countries in order to destabilize their governments and aid in the establishment of communism;
known attempts occurred in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India, though there is suspected to be
much more. They were also a big part in crushing the
Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and the Prague Spring in 1968. In both cases, advisers were stayed in country
after the intervention force succeeded, and the advisers helped to return things back
to the way they were. Several agents and mercenary agents were active
in the United States as well, including FBI agent Robert Hansen, who worked with the Soviets
from 1979 until his arrest in 2001. However, with the growing instability of the
Soviet Union, the KGB also fell in effectiveness, and was unable to prevent the Polish Solidarity
movement, and the 1989 revolutions across the Eastern Bloc, which saw the collapse of
the Warsaw Pact. After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991,
KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov and several supporters attempted a coup to reestablish
the union, but failed, leading to the end of the KGB. Number 1. Central Intelligence Agency: The main intelligence
organization in the United States, the CIA was started in 1947 by Harry S Truman. Its purpose is to act as counterterrorism,
gather information on developing events overseas, the observation of nuclear countries and those
developing nuclear capabilities, counterintelligence and cyber intelligence. The CIA has developed a controversial reputation,
particularly during the Cold War. In efforts to maintain a lead against the
Soviet Union, the US government used the CIA in order to conduct covert operations across
the world, with missions including the training and funding of groups resisting communism,
assassinations, sabotage and providing the materials to topple regimes unfriendly or
implementing legislation which countered American interests. The CIA is also suspected of using harsh torture
methods, most notably waterboarding in recent years, in order to obtain confessions out
of suspected terrorists. Ironically, the CIA trained Osama Bin Laden
while he was fighting Soviet forces during the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan in the
1980s, and it is believed Bin Laden later used this training to plan and initiate the
September 11th attacks, along with countless other attacks conducted by Al-Qaeda on Bin
Laden's orders. The CIA remains highly secretive, and the
number of employees remains classified to this day.
