1995: War Against Germany

[ronsm...@hotmail.com]

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 Blum 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private employment agencies withdrawn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.ht
ml

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