"Brothers in arms" - MISA and Scientology

Using Soteria International, a NGO founded by its followers, MISA "joined forces" with various organizations, amongst them Scientology, in their war against those that would abuse "spiritual groups".

At the Soteria International conference on spiritual human rights held at the beginning of December 2012 in the premises of NATHA Yoga Center, MISA's Danish branch, were invited several representatives of more or less controversial organizations.

Birthe Heldt (leader of Scientology DK) held a speech on "The Role of Spirituality in Modern Society". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiDpR82ZZUo

At minute 3:23 one can see Mihai Jan Stoian, leader of NATHA DK and director of ATMAN Federation for Yoga and Meditation (MISA’s umbrella organization) next to Birthe Heldt.

Mihai Jan Stoian is also known under the name Paul Diamond, his porn star pseudonym. He and his wife Adina Stoian (alias Claire Diamond) performed in two of the MISA porns - "Magic Passage" and "Ecstasy Water 2".

Recently he calls himself Advaita or Advaitananda and changed even the name of his blog from www.mihaistoian.net to www.advaitastoian.com.

In Mihai Jan Stoian’s lecture "Who's holding the remote control of your mind?" held at the finale debate of the Soteria International Conference in December 2013 (at minute 11:55) he praised the work done by Scientology, claiming that Scientology has problems with anti sect organizations and with the society because it gives people back their controls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxvKMbSsWMg

" The systems today, all the small groups or large groups have something in common, when they are attacked by the anti sect ... and even by society themselves and one of the things they have in common, and here Eric ( Note: Eric Roux is the leader of Scientology in France) can confirm that, is that they are working to give people back their controls.

I've studied the Scientology system and this is in my opinion why they collide with the society, otherwise they are very nice people, but they collided because society don't want to give controls back. And then Scientology come and say: Guys, you are all in control, let us show you the buttons. Here is the buttons and now you can drive your own car. "

Regarding how nice people Scientology members are it is worth quoting Alexander Dvorkin (famous Russian-American Scientology critic and former vice-president of FECRIS): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxvKMbSsWMg#t=15

«After my first publication on Scientology I received a visit from Ms. Birte Heldt, a Danish citizen who was then director of the Hubbard Humanitarian Center in Moscow. Though she tried to look friendly, the main purpose of our encounter soon became evident: "We would like you to know that anybody standing in the way of Scientology ends up very badly." "Are you threatening me?" I asked. "No, just warning you," she replied.»

Moreover, in December 2012 and January 2013 Konrad Lukas Swenninger, teacher at NATHA Göteborg, MISA’s Swedish branch and one of the accredited persons for access to European Parliament premises for Soteria International at that time, gave two interviews to Radio Liberty (Radio Frihed), an online radio founded and financed by Scientology members from Denmark. The interviewer was the above mentioned Birthe Heldt. See at the end the synthesis of the interviews.

In the MISA prosecution file of the trial in Cluj one can find the oldest MISA connection to Scientology. One of Gregorian Bivolaru’s "diplomas" attached to the file certifies his active membership in AUPAC. It is signed by the leader of the Belgian Scientology branch.

Quote from the prosecution files:

"The second “diploma” of “yoga teacher” used by the accused BIVOLARU GREGORIAN is the certificate, issued on 07.08.1991 by FRANCIS DESSART, the president of the “High School of the Universal Alliance for Peace and knowledge” (AUPAC), with headquarter in Paris. This school is in fact a French school that did not have the prerogatives to issue “diploma of yoga teacher”.

Also, in the respective document FRANCIS DESSART pointed out that the accused BIVOLARU GREGORIAN is an active member of AUPAC.

Regarding this FRANCIS DESSART, we have to mention that he led the Belgian filial of the sect “The Scientology Church” (known for the exploitation of its members and its anti-Semite character, denying the Holocaust).

The above mentioned interviews of Soteria International on Radio Liberty were posted at the links below, but they don’t work anymore.

Soteria at Radio Liberty 2012-12-18 http://www.radiofrihed.dk/2012/12/spirituelle-menneskerettigheder/

Soteria at Radio Liberty 2013-01-20 http://www.radiofrihed.dk/2013/01/foragten-for-dem-der-er-anderledes-dem-og-os

Synthesis of the interviews:

First interview from December 2012

Birte Heldt introduces the guest, Konrad Swenninger , Swedish, from Soteria International.

Swenninger describes Soteria International (S.I.): A Human Rights Organization. taking care of people who are in trouble because of their spiritual practice, and finding out why they are in trouble.

The word “soteria”, Greek for salvation, means that part of salvation that is rooted in your own personal deeds [i.e. – a gnostic interpretation of the word]. S.I.

S.I. works for freedom, the right to follow your own conscience. It’s based in Copenhagen, but works all over Europe – Southern Europe, Eastern Europe.

S.I. presents it’s knowledge to politicians [lobbyism] and works together with different groups that had met resistance. And it works with research on the subject.

Swenninger has taken part in S.I. from the start. There is a handful of people in Denmark in S.I. Ad hoc-groups in Europe. It is financed by donations and contributions from members and individuals and groups – and there are many volunteers in S.I.

S.I. has round table discussions about the role of spirituality – why is it seen as something strange and even criminal? S.I. has relations to researchers in psychology and history and so on. And S.I. holds Human Rights Conferences in Copenhagen.

What is the root of the threat and violations against the spiritual human rights? Errors in the system. Misunderstandings of actions. A reason could be totalitarian structures in Eastern Europe. But you also see violations in Western Europe. And S.I. will point out violations, errors and misunderstandings.

A special case is the story of a yoga-teacher and dissident that escaped from persecutions in Romania and was granted asylum in Sweden. Swenninger tells the story about the “violations” against this yoga-teacher and the discrimination of the whole group. A big scandal. The events caused a lot of fear. Amnesty International and The Helsinki Committee reported about these violations. People that seek a better life through yoga meet this enormous resistance. It all started when Gregorian Bivolaru talked against the social democratic government in Romania – the old communists – then the persecutions started.

Birthe Heldt draws a line: Radio Freedom interviewed people active in the Falun Gong movement. It was very popular in China known as Qi Gong, but when it started talking about the inner freedom of man, it became dangerous for the Communist Party. They feared it will get too big. But members of Falun Gong are jailed and killed. The government is stealing their organs, they report.

A reason of the persecutions are often Christian groups that stigmatize these spiritual groups as “different”.

Second interview from January 2013

Birthe Heldt and Konrad Swenninger once again.

K.S. tells that he has been in Europe and Brussels. He talked with the authors of a report about anti-sect-movements.

Which groups are attacked? The groups that separate themselves from the norm. Lutherans are attacked in Russia. But especially New Religious Movements – groups without roots in Europe – are attacked. Yoga-movements, many Christian churches, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unification Church and so on.

Bigger movements – for instance the Orthodox or the Catholic church – collaborate with the anti-sect-movements. The dominant church in an area is active against new creeds. That’s normal. The problem starts when interest-groups fighting the NRMs are founded by the state.

The problem is especially FECRIS. It consists of very small groups, but FECRIS has been given a big place and importance in Europe.

Then Swenninger takes a report that Birthe Heldt describes as a white and green book. It is called "Freedom of Religion or Belief – antisectmovements and state Neutrality A Case Study: FECRIS" – by the university in Dresden. The study has its focus on Germany, Russia and Serbia. The question is the state’s principle of neutrality, because FECRIS and its members are very much financed by the state. And these organizations have got a consulting role in many nations.

Heldt: Is FECRIS political?

Swenninger: No! There are a lot of interests behind criticism towards NRMs. Economical interests in attention by the media. But FECRIS is very much founded by people with a private interest, a private reason to engage themselves. It can be a daughter that has moved into another creed [Swenninger is describing Friedrich Griess, former president of FECRIS]. But Human Rights Groups point out that these protests are wrong. Anybody has the right to leave a religion and move to another one. It is fear of the unknown.

Heldt: What about Denmark?

Swenninger: In Denmark we had the Dialog Center. It disappeared in 2011 in Denmark , but is still active in Russia and Ireland. The Dialog Center is not connected to FECRIS as far as they know.

What about FECRIS and Denmark, Heldt asks. Sell, the former Danish minister Søren Pind has laws against immigration that are discriminating, so Denmark has attention in the European Human Rights-effort.

But the main issue is the state-support to xenophobic and discriminating activity. A Greek researcher has drawn parallels to the Europe of the thirties, the contempt of people thinking differently. It mainly hit the muslims but it also hits anybody thinking differently. The power is used against minorities. It is related to antisemitism which is also growing.

Swenninger continued talking about the problematic of the plagio laws in Italy.

The latest Spiritual Human Rights Conference on 10th December 2013 organized by Soteria International in Copenhagen "was the first one to be co-organized with partner institutions". Amongst them:

- the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF) - who's chair is Eric Roux, ordained minister of the Church of Scientology and President of the Union of Churches of Scientology of France

- Youth for Human Rights (UFMR, Denmark) - "founded and largely staffed and financed by Scientologists"