The Bilderberg Group. This is a well-known informal, international, annual meeting of influential people that some critics allege have a sinister purpose. Its name is that of the hotel in the Netherlands where the group first met in 1954.
Chemtrails - Clouds behind aircraft, having the general appearance of contrails, but alleged to be chemical spraying performed for some secretive purpose.
Eurabia, the idea that Europe is becoming a satellite of the Islamic world at French "instigation" due to the activities of the Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Cooperation .
Many African-Americans in the US believe that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was invented by either white American scientists, or by "The Jews", as a way to destroy the black race. This conspiracy theory is most common among lower-income blacks in poor neighborhoods, and among putative left-wing black college students. These racist and anti-Semitic attacks have been propagated for years first by Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam, and by the New Black Panther Party, as well by a number of extremist professors in various smaller colleges. (see alsoSteve Cokely).
There is also a theory that the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise is owned by the Ku Klux Klan, and the chicken is laced with a drug that makes only black men impotent. (Ironically, the franchise is actually owned by an African-American.)
Denver International Airport is believed by many conspiracy theorists to be the Western headquarters of the New World Order, and that a massive underground base and city exists underneath the airport. Reasons for this include: the airport is unnecessarily large (larger than some major cities), is very remote with respect to the Denver, Colorado city center, a set of bizarre murals (some of which have been painted over) at the airport depict burning cities, gas-mask wearing soldiers, and girls in coffins, and Masonic symbols and strange writing located at some points. (It is more generally believed that any strange qualities of Denver International Airport are a consequence of a typical overbudgeted government project.)
The Skull & Bonesfraternity at Yale is often thought of as being a secret society producing many financial and political leaders who have control or seek to gain control.
Conspiracy to remove George Radwanski , Privacy Commissioner of Canada, from office in order to silence him about attacks on civil liberties by the Canadian government
Conspiracy theories peculiar to the Arab and Muslim world
The theory, promoted by the American government, that Iraq has Weapons of mass destruction had the biggest real world effect of all conspiracy theories. The theory was proposed due to reports from several US government intelligence sources; however, no such weapons were found after the US occupation of Iraq. Despite this, a considerable portion of American voters still believe in this theory. Exit polls from the U.S. presidential election, 2004 showed that Bush voters were more likely to believe in this theory then Kerry voters.
For some time the Arab press reported that there was a plot by Jews to make Egyptian and Palestinian schoolgirls sexually promiscuous by selling them bubble-gum laced with aphrodisiacs. An example of this conspiracy theory is that written by Mohammad Dalbah:
"Palestinian authorities uncovered Israeli efforts to spread a special kind of gum that contains sexual hormone between Palestinians. The authorities requested laboratory tests on the gum which were conducted in Cairo. Those tests showed that the gum contains progesterone which is responsible for sexual arousal and also prevents pregnancies. Palestinian authorities confiscated 200 tonnes of gum in the city of al-Khalil alone. The Washington Post claimed in report that it asked a chemistry professor in the hebrew university to examine the gum. His tests were negative, however the paper also reported that the majority of Palestinians believe the conspiracy. It quoted one Palestinian saying that it was possible to send a space ship to Mars then it is possible to manufacture a 'sexual gum' it is after all a war."
This story is particularly interesting, as it closely resembles a story of LSD-laced papers or candies which continues to periodically surface in the US. In this case the story is considered to be an urban legend as opposed to a conspiracy theory, because no group is blamed for the "attacks". Like the Palestinian case, there is no evidence that anything like this has ever happened.
On several occasions, Palestinians have claimed that the Israeli government has used nerve gas against them, and then suppressed the evidence of such. No independent investigation has ever substantiated such claims.
Some Arabs, mostly Egyptians, believe that Israelis engineered the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 in 1999, despite strong evidence that the pilot committed suicide. Others insist that the US is covering up for Boeing, the airplane's manufacturer: [1], [2]
The theory that former US President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky was part of a Zionist plot to get rid of Bill Clinton.
Many in the Arab world believe that Jewish doctors deliberately give Palestinians AIDS. January 1995, Al-Ahram: Examples of Arab conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory that the Madrid railway bombings were not perpetrated by Muslims since they took place in the Hijri month of Muharram, one of the four sacred months during which attacks on "infidels" are forbidden by the Qu'ran - a rule which Islamic fundamentalists have never broken previously.
Daniel Pipes has written a book and many essays on the prevalence of conspiracy theories throughout the Arab and Muslim world. Conspiracy theories extend far beyond those biased against Jews. They extend even to the creation of conspiracy theories about the results of sporting events.
Other Conspiracy Theories
The Bielefeld conspiracy — a "joke" conspiracy which was never intended to be taken seriously.
Polls continue to suggest that around a quarter of the UK public, and a majority of people in some Arab countries, believe that there was a plot to murder Diana, Princess of Wales. Motivations which have been advanced for such a conspiracy include suggestions that Diana intended to divorce The Prince of Wales, that she intended to convert to Islam, and that she was pregnant. Organisations which conspiracy theorists suggest are responsible for her death have included French Intelligence , the British Establishment or British Royal Family, the British Intelligence services MI5 or MI6, the CIA, Mossad, the Freemasons, or the IRA. Alternatively, Diana and Dodi are believed to be alive and living incognito.
