Scientology: The Profit Sect: Part 8

From: "Die Woche" May 12, 1995

Copyright 1995 Die Woche Zeitungsverlag GmbH & Co.

In the War against Germany

by Steffan Heuer

The SCIENTOLOGY SECT makes charges against Germany with an aggressive advertisement campaign in the USA — not without effect

Edward Tashji, speaker of the Turkish-American Union in the USA, was full of praise, "In the name of our President, Dr. Sevket Karaduman," he thanked the Scientology Church for its "true-to-life description of the spirit of fascism and racism in Germany." This Scientologist hypothesis has been spread in whole-page advertisements. The New York Times of January 11 contained an ad which stated "Human Rights in Danger: Germany's present resembles the past in a terrifying way. In the 1930's and 1940's, the world closed its eyes while the climate for the Holocaust was created. Nobody did anything. Today you can take care of it." This was followed by the addresses of Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl and Klaus Kinkel.

The 26 whole-page advertisements, which ran between September and February, cost the sect a total of almost a million dollars. The campaign began when pressure on the sect in Germany increased. Federal Labor Minister Norbert Blüm hit them hard as he repeatedly called them a "criminal money-laundering organization." In October, 1994, he had the licenses of the Scientology-allied private employment agencies withdrawn 

Have the advertisements convinced the newspaper readers in the USA? The German embassy in Washington received calls from German tourists who felt outraged, yet it maintained its silence on the matter. "The campaign has gone up in smoke," was the verdict pronounced by embassy speaker Ekkehard Brose. "And that's where we'll leave it."

Abraham Foxman, Holocaust survivor and director of the Anti-Defamation League, the most influential Jewish organization in the USA, saw the advertisements as an "overblown, unwarranted attack on the democratic government of Germany." The sect "undertakes anything in order to have its revenge upon an administration which takes measures against it," wrote Foxman to the New York Times. Upon reading that, leading Scientologist Heber Jentzsch responded to Foxman's letter by writing that Foxman supported "fascist treatment" in Germany. "Wake up, Mr. Foxman," wrote the excited Jentzsch in his letter, in which he incorrectly spelled both Luebeck  ("Leubeck") and the name of Labor Minister Norbert Bluem  ("Bleum"). "Do you smell the burning flesh of the Turks who have been thrown into the fire by your beloved German democracy?" he wrote.

The advertisement campaign was hatched by the Scientology establishment in Los Angeles. Press spokesperson Leisa Goodman said she wrote the text to it. "The members of our community have been denied basic human rights. That can only be compared with what has been done to the Jews," she stated. She claimed that the advertisements reflect the situation in the German Federal Republic "exactly." "The text could have been even more polemic," she said.

Marcia Rudin, who runs the International Cult Education Program in New York, gave her opinion, "As a Jew I feel particularly insulted that Scientology is exploiting the Holocaust. But that is typical for sects that present themselves as victims."

Former Scientologists who continue to watch the sect today, find the advertisement simply "abominable." Lawrence Wollersheim, who was "ruined after eleven years of brainwashing," sees the true face of Scientology in the propaganda. "The real Nazis are the Scientologists," says the American, who, two years ago, set up a data base on the organization which can be accessed for free over the internet.

In the political arena of the USA, the Scientology campaign has found a willing audience. The United Nations Human Rights Commission seized upon the accusations of religious persecution in a four page report. The US State Department also announced the accusations of the sect in its Human Rights Report without further commentary. However, in an opinion to a senator the US State Department ascertained that there was no proof "that a hate campaign against the Scientologists or other groups had been approved by German officials."

That does not sway Leise  Goodman. The sect spokesperson stated that "Scientologists will never give up." Hubbard advised his followers, "Treat every small battle like a war." The first battle was with the newspapers. The German newspapers refused to print the advertisements. Therefore, the Los Angeles Scientologists planned to run advertisements in the countries neighboring Germany. They have enough money. According to its last tax statement, Scientology took in $300 million a year. Insiders estimate that $100 million of that is used for advertisement.

Picture: Advertisement, "The business of hatred" [note: I'll post a Scientology Nazi campaign picture which I haven't posted previously to alt.binaries.scientology. It's from one of the New York Times papers, September 22, 1994.]

The Scientology Church, in an advertisement campaign in US newspapers, accused Germany of persecuting religious groups and racial minorities. Jewish organizations, in particular, criticized this as a clumsy attempt by the sect to oppose increasing criticism of Scientology's behavior in Germany.

German Scientology News: http://cisar.org/trn0358.htm

Nots 34
http:// home.sol.no/ ~spirous/ CoS/ archive/ events/ 9805henson-case/ nots34_anal.html 

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