Bill Berkowitz: Are religious sects/cults invading the United Nations?

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Bill Berkowitz

A French government agency called MIVILUDES (Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaries -- Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviancy) recently issued a 199-page report charging religious cults with having a growing influence in international bodies such as the United Nations.

According to a report at Digital Journal, "A sect is defined here as being any religious organization which can be characterized as employing any of the following methods; Mental destabilization, exorbitant financial demands, a rupture with members' original environment, power in the hands of one person, the invasion of a person's physical integrity, the recruitment of children, antisocial preaching and troubling public order, activities which lead it to be tried in a court of law, using parallel economic structures, attempts to infiltrate the workplace, schools, and public powers."

Among the 50 or so religious groups that MIVILUDES tracks in its report (La justice face aux derives sectaries -- Justice with Regard to Sect or Cult abuse) are: Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, Mormons, The Universal Church, Raelians, and The Unification Church (the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.).

Ten pages of this year's Annual Report (in French) are devoted "to a stinging criticism of the activity of sects and their supporters in the UN and the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)," Digital Journal pointed out. "The OSCE is the biggest security-oriented intergovernmental organization on the planet.... [whose] job is to surveill and uphold principles such as fair elections, press freedom and human rights. It is an ad-hoc UN Agency."

According to Digital Journal, the report looks closely at NGOs (non-governmental organizations) "which it says are attempting to legitimize sect activities under cover of the principles of religious freedom. They are said to be acting in concert to limit the influence of the MIVILUDES within the UN, using tactics such as official complaints and smear tactics."

MIVILUDES, which originated in a presidential decree on November 28, 2002, has a broad mission consisting of:

* "observing and analyzing movements perceived as constituting a threat to public order or that violate French law"

* "coordinating the appropriate response"

* "informing the public about potential risks"

* "helping victims to receive aid"

Since its inception, MIVILUDES has apparently been the subject of intense scrutiny and broad criticism. Many of the groups listed in earlier reports expressed outrage at their inclusion claiming it would lead to them being stigmatized. According to Digital Journal, "NGOs said to be active in trying to destabilize the Miviludes' work include Human Rights Without Frontiers, the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, and the Information and Advice Centre for New Spiritualities."

"These and other organizations are said to be acting as front organizations for various religions who do not have UN accredited presence. Most notable amongst them is the Church of Scientology, which has launched several attacks on the Miviludes, notably by using the US State Department's clout at the UN. The Scientology Internet site logo looks very much like the UN logo and the Church presents itself as being 'Associated with the UN Department of Public Information.'"

Religion News Blog noted that AFP reported that the MIVILUDES report is not limited to question regarding sects and the UN. It also "includes a chapter on Satanism, which the organization says is gaining ground through the Internet.... Further chapters address the way cults use the internet, and detail the fight against runaway sects in France and the rest of Europe."

In addition, Religion News Blog pointed out: "The report also denounces a huge increase in unqualified therapists, warning that sects are using the personality coaching and self-help trends to target impressionable people. 25 to 30 percent of psychotherapists in France are not certified practitioners. Some are charlatans, who use their practices to recruit the vulnerable. The Internet has also become a frequent tool for sect recruitment."

(A totally un-scientific survey conducted by your humble reporter -- I spoke to a fellow gym member who was born in Morocco and raised in France -- confirmed the report's observations about France's therapists!)

Digital Journal concluded its piece by pointing out that "France is a fiercely secular country" which in part explains "the existence of an organization as unique and with as much influence as the Miviludes." It's "long-running battles with various religious organizations ... . has [now] moved onto the international stage the stakes have gone up and both sides are sharpening their knives."

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION

Bill Berkowitz is a longtime observer of the conservative movement and a frequent writer for Z Magazine, Religion Dispatches and other online publications. He documents the strategies, players, institutions, victories and defeats of the American Right from a progressive perspective.