Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts

Sep 2, 2025

CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/2/2025


Malaysia, Falun Gong, China, Nazism, Anthroposophy, UK, The Kingdom of Kubala


Free Malaysia Today: Falun Gong exhibits allegedly seized by 'China police' near National Monument
"A Falun Gong practitioner claims that seven men, identifying themselves as policemen from China, removed her group's exhibits near the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur last Friday."

" ... The woman, who wanted to be known only as Yong, told FMT she had set up the booth there three months ago to educate the public about Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China.

"I chased after them and asked for the items to be returned. One of them said, 'We are policemen from China'. They ignored my pleas and drove off," she said.

Yong claimed the men left in a van accompanied by a local tour guide and driver.

In May, then Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa said the arrest of more than 70 Falun Gong followers ahead of Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit to Malaysia was lawful as "Falun Gong is an illegal organisation".

"As such, it is not permitted to carry out any activities," he was quoted as saying at a press conference."

Between Occultism and Fascism: Anthroposophy and the Politics of Race and Nation in Germany and Italy, 1900-1945 by Peter Staudenmaier
"The relationship between Nazism and occultism has long been an object of popular speculation and scholarly controversy. This dissertation examines the interaction between occult groups and the Nazi regime as well as the Italian Fascist state, with central attention to the role of racial and ethnic theories in shaping these developments. The centerpiece of the dissertation is a case study of the anthroposophist movement founded by Rudolf Steiner, an esoteric tendency which gave rise to widely influential alternative cultural institutions including Waldorf schools, biodynamic agriculture, and holistic methods of health care and nutrition. A careful exploration of the tensions and affinities between anthroposophists and fascists reveals a complex and differentiated portrait of modern occult tendencies and their treatment by Nazi and Fascist officials.

Two initial chapters analyze the emergence of anthroposophy's racial doctrines, its self-conception as an 'unpolitical' spiritual movement, and its relations with the völkisch milieu and with Lebensreform movements. Four central chapters concern the fate of anthroposophy in Nazi Germany, with a detailed reconstruction of specific anthroposophical institutions and their interactions with various Nazi agencies. Two final chapters provide a comparative portrait of the Italian anthroposophical movement during the Fascist era, with particular concentration on the role of anthroposophists in influencing and administering Fascist racial policy.

Based on a wide range of archival sources, the dissertation offers an empirically founded account of the neglected history of modern occult movements while shedding new light on the operations of the Nazi and Fascist regimes. The analysis focuses on the interplay of ideology and practice, the concrete ways in which contending worldviews attempted to establish institutional footholds within the organizational disarray of the Third Reich and the Fascist state, and shows that disagreements over racial ideology were embedded in power struggles between competing factions within the Nazi hierarchy and the Fascist apparatus. It delineates the ways in which early twentieth century efforts toward spiritual renewal, holism, cultural regeneration and redemption converged with deeply regressive political realities. Engaging critically with previous accounts, the dissertation raises challenging questions about the political implications of alternative spiritual currents and counter-cultural tendencies." 

"A missing Texas woman found living with the self-proclaimed leaders of a lost "African" tribe in a Scottish forest insists she is there by her own free will, despite her family's fears she is lost to the sect forever.

Kaura Taylor was recently found living in the woods with the group after vanishing from her home three months ago, leaving relatives distraught.

"It is very stressful, and difficult. It breaks our heart. We're overly concerned about Kaura, but she doesn't think anyone is concerned about her," Taylor's aunt Teri Allen told The Independent.

In a message posted to Facebook after 21-year-old Taylor, mother to a one-year-old child who she took with her to Scotland, said that she was not missing and lashed out at reports she "disappeared."

"I'm very happy with my King and Queen, I was never missing, I fled a very abusive, toxic family," Taylor wrote, following up with a video message telling U.K. authorities to leave her alone in the woods in Jedburgh, 40 miles south of Edinburgh. She added that she is "an adult, not a helpless child."

However, Allen on Thursday pushed back stridently against those assertions, describing her niece's younger years as "very sheltered and protected."

She said Taylor "was brought up in church, but not their religion. Not this thing that they got going. It's a bunch of hogwash."

Speaking to The Independent from her Dallas-area home, Allen said Taylor kept it "totally hidden from the family" when she began communicating in 2023 with so-called Kingdom of Kubala leader King Atehene, a former opera singer and PR agent from Ghana whose real name is Kofi Offeh, and his wife Jean Gasho, who now goes by Queen Nandi.

Queen Nandi did not respond to a request for comment. An email seeking comment from King Atehene bounced back as undeliverable.

The Kingdom of Kubala claims to be a lost Hebrew tribe that aims to retake the land they say was expropriated when Queen Elizabeth I expelled native black Jacobites from England in the 1590s.

The trio in Jedburgh hope to add to their numbers by bringing other supposedly lost tribes back to their purported ancestral homeland."



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Dec 3, 2024

CultNEWS101 Articles: 12/3/2024 (Scientology, Millah Abraham, Malaysia, Legal, Misinformation )



Scientology, Millah Abraham, Malaysia, Legal, Misinformation 

ENDEVR Documentary: The Dark Side of the Scientology Cult
"It is one of the world's most secretive and controversial cults… brought to light by one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Tom Cruise. Since its creation in 1953, Scientology has won millions of disciples, up to 40,000 in France alone, according to its leaders.

Scientologists follow the teachings of a former bestselling Science Fiction author, L. Ron Hubbard. They believe in reincarnation and undergo extraordinary practices to gain enlightenment. Scientology is also an institution plagued by headline-grabbing scandals when former members go public about their experiences with the sect. While it is recognized as a religion in some countries, others consider it a dangerous cult.

How does this organization, often convicted of fraud, manage to recruit and retain followers? What are its beliefs? Who was L. Ron Hubbard, its charismatic proto-messiah? How did Scientology become a recognized religion in the United States? And what influence does it have in France? Join experts and former high-ranking scientology members as they unmask one of the most powerful self-proclaimed religious organizations on the planet… the church of scientology."

Free Malaysia Today: 8 suspected Millah Abraham cult followers arrested in Melaka
"Three married couples and two men were detained during a midnight raid on a house here on suspicion of being followers of the deviant Millah Abraham sect.

Melaka education, higher education and religious affairs committee chairman Rahmad Mariman said the suspects, aged between 28 and 71, were retired civil servants, private sector workers, self-employed and housewives.

"The authorities received a public complaint about the spread and practice of the Millah Abraham teachings, which have been declared deviant and contrary to Islamic teachings in Melaka through a fatwa.

"A raid was carried out by 70 Melaka Islamic religious department staff and police officers to inspect and search the house believed to be occupied by Millah Abraham followers," he said in a statement here today."

Study: Misinformation exploits outrage to spread online.
Misinformation evokes much more outrage than trustworthy news sources do, outrage facilitates the spread of misinformation, and people are much more willing to share outrage-evoking misinformation without even reading it first.

Don't spread misinformation! But how would you know?

Science: Misinformation exploits outrage to spread online

Misinformation evokes much more outrage than trustworthy news sources do, outrage facilitates the spread of misinformation, and people are much more willing to share outrage-evoking misinformation without even reading it first.


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Jan 16, 2020

CultNEWS101 Articles: 1/15/2020

Event, UK, Netherlands, Brahma Kumaris, Legal, Malaysia, Sexual Abuse



"Psycho-educational Support Group for those whom have been affected by a wide variety of cults or extremists groups.

Date And TimeJanuary 28, 20206:30 PM – 8:30 PM GMT
LocationManchester Town HallAlbert SquareManchesterM2 5DBUnited Kingdom

The Family Survival Trust invites you to attend our Psycho-educational Support Group.

Our next meeting will be at 6.30-8.30pm on Tuesday 28th January 2020, in Manchester City Centre.

Please reply for more/address details. Exact will be comm to ticket holders on contact.

This group is open to people affected by a wide variety of cults (eg political, therapy, religious/spiritual, business, sports - among others) and extremist/exploitative groups.

A short educational presentation on a topic related to the psychology of coercive control will be the basis for sharing experiences and having reflective discussions. The session will be facilitated by those who have educational and/or personal experiences in this area, namely Charlie Kalra, Linda Dubrow-Marshall and Rod Dubrow-Marshall.

This is neither a therapy/counselling nor 'deprogramming' group, though often attendees report to have found it helpful, at an appropriate stage of their journey, with contextualising their experiences in abusive groups.

Hearing and sharing of experiences can be illuminating and validating, and at times also evocative and challenging.

When we meet we'll agree terms of confidentiality at the start of each session.

There's no obligation to say anything you don't want to.

You're free to attend without commitment and feedback is welcome.

A donation of £5 pounds would help to cover the cost of the venue; greater or lesser amounts are also welcome. Please do not feel obligated to do so if your circumstances do not allow it.

Confirmation of attendance will be appreciated to help us anticipate numbers for the venue.

For more details or if you'd like to be added to the mailing list for emails related to these meets please email thefamilysurvivaltrustuk@gmail.com"

"Last year, 103 worried phone calls arrived at SektesIGN, which belonged to the same organization as Meld Misdaad Anoniem. That is a lot more than the years before, when serious reports were made every year between the sixties and eighties. 

A striking number of phone calls were about mindfulness and happiness courses, which eventually degenerated into sexual and / or financial abuse of the participants. This often concerns women around 30, says Karin Krijnen, spokesperson for the organization that has since disappeared.

The task of Sektes signal was to bring serious signals to the attention of the right authorities. The hotline ceased to exist on 1 January, because the House of Representatives decided a few years ago to stop the subsidy. There will be no successor."

"KUALA LUMPUR: A devoteee with the Brahma Kumaris spiritual centre told the Session's Court today that she was raped by a religious teacher in Bangsar in September last year despite telling him that she wanted to keep her virginity.

The 26-year old final year psychology student with International University of Malaya-Wales said the incident took place at the Brahma Kumaris hostel in Jalan Limau Purut, Bangsar.

The Brahma Kumaris follower from Jasin, Melaka, said she had been a devotee since she was 7 years old and had been living in the hostel since the end of 2017.

"I got a job at Pantai Hospital, Bangsar, and because it was near Brahma Kumaris, my grandmother told me to live in the hostel for safety reasons," she told the court on the first day of trial of religious "guru" S Baskaran, 47.


S Baskaran, a senior Brahma Kumaris teacher, is charged with raping a devotee.

Baskaran, an engineer, was charged in the Sessions Court in September last year with raping the devotee on Sept 14, 2018.

He has pleaded not guilty."

"KUALA LUMPUR: A devoteee with the Brahma Kumaris spiritual centre told the Session's Court today that she was raped by a religious teacher in Bangsar in September last year despite telling him that she wanted to keep her virginity.

The 26-year old final year psychology student with International University of Malaya-Wales said the incident took place at the Brahma Kumaris hostel in Jalan Limau Purut, Bangsar.

The Brahma Kumaris follower from Jasin, Melaka, said she had been a devotee since she was 7 years old and had been living in the hostel since the end of 2017.

"I got a job at Pantai Hospital, Bangsar, and because it was near Brahma Kumaris, my grandmother told me to live in the hostel for safety reasons," she told the court on the first day of trial of religious "guru" S Baskaran, 47.

Baskaran, an engineer, was charged in the Sessions Court in September last year with raping the devotee on Sept 14, 2018.

He has pleaded not guilty."




News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources.
Cults101.org resources about cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations and related topics.

Selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not mean that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly agree with the content. We provide information from many points of view in order to promote dialogue.

Please forward articles that you think we should add to CultNEWS101.com.

Thanks,

Jan 12, 2020

My ‘guru’ raped me, Brahma Kumaris devotee tells court

A devoteee with the Brahma Kumaris spiritual centre told the Session’s Court today that she was raped by a religious teacher
Minderjeet Kaur
Free Malaysia Today
January 6, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: A devoteee with the Brahma Kumaris spiritual centre told the Session’s Court today that she was raped by a religious teacher in Bangsar in September last year despite telling him that she wanted to keep her virginity.

The 26-year old final year psychology student with International University of Malaya-Wales said the incident took place at the Brahma Kumaris hostel in Jalan Limau Purut, Bangsar.

The Brahma Kumaris follower from Jasin, Melaka, said she had been a devotee since she was 7 years old and had been living in the hostel since the end of 2017.

“I got a job at Pantai Hospital, Bangsar, and because it was near Brahma Kumaris, my grandmother told me to live in the hostel for safety reasons,” she told the court on the first day of trial of religious “guru” S Baskaran, 47.

Baskaran, an engineer, was charged in the Sessions Court in September last year with raping the devotee on Sept 14, 2018.

He has pleaded not guilty.

The devotee said Baskaran had taken her to Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, on Sept 13 last year as he claimed that he wanted to talk to her about the two of them and the centre in Bangsar.

“But he was indecent. He tried holding my hand. He tried hugging me. He tried kissing me. But I stopped him from doing that and told him to drive me home,” she said, adding that he tried to do the same in the car.

She said Baskaran apologised when they were reaching the hostel and said he had no bad intention and was “overcome by sexual desires”.

After that, she alleged that he tried forcing her mouth down to his private parts but she managed to pull away.


She then quickly washed her mouth with a bottle of water that she had with her and asked him to send her back to the hostel.

She said Baskaran called her the next day to apologise, stating that “he did not do it purposely. And that he regretted his actions.”

She said he wanted to meet her again and she agreed to meet him outside the hostel. They met in the car.

“I thought to myself that he had been a spiritual guru for 20 years. He had done something that was not good and he regretted it,” she said in Tamil which was translated into Malay by the court interpreter.

She alleged that after talking for almost half an hour in the car, he asked for a glass of water.

She went to the first floor of the hostel to get the water and placed her handbag on the dining table.

“When I went to the ground floor, he was in the living area. I gave him the glass of water and went upstairs to get my bag before going to the third floor to my room,” she added.

The devotee said she was about to drink some water in her room when Baskaran held her tightly from behind and dragged her to the bed.

She said Baskaran had pulled down her pants and pinned her down.

“I was shocked. I felt paralysed and didn’t know what to do. No one was at the hostel.

“I tried to push him but I couldn’t do anything, he was on top,” she said in tears, adding that she told Baskaran that she wanted to keep her virginity.

She alleged that Baskaran told her he was doing this as he did not want her “to go to someone else”.

After the rape, she alleged that Baskaran had covered her with her blanket and declared that he loved her.

The trial continues tomorrow before judge Suraya Mustafa Kamal. The deputy public prosecutor is Nur Farah Adilah Noordin while the alleged victim is represented by lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/01/06/my-guru-raped-me-brahma-kumaris-devotee-tells-court/

Jul 16, 2018

How to tell if you’re in a cult


Sherab Wong shares telltale signs of a cult.

Melanie Chalil
MalayMail
July 16, 2018

PETALING JAYA, July 16 — Following the success of last year’s Malaysia Dharma Stream Forum, a forum that aimed to raise awareness on the rise of cult movements in Malaysia, organisers are back with a second edition with hopes of addressing cult issues and fostering intra-faith and inter-faith dialogues.

“There are more than 20 cults in Malaysia and we are seeing an influx of cult organisations masking as yoga or meditation centres, but have a sinister agenda,” said eastern and western metaphysics trainer and speaker Sherab Wong.

“This forum focuses on highlighting worrying issues within Buddhist organisations because the religion has been misappropriated and this is increasingly rampant,” said Durian Asean FM founder Jamaluddin Ibrahim, who organised the forum.

Wong and Jamaluddin wanted to warn the public about these dubious establishments — they believe prevention is better than cure.

“Victims tend not to speak out because they feel scared, some have depression and mental issues. There’s also shame attached to it especially women who have faced sexual violation,” Wong explained.

“These problems are never exposed in Malay and English-speaking societies and we want these issues to be highlighted,” said Jamaluddin.

He explained that on top of a lack of background checks, religious cults are relatively free to roam around as long as they don’t encroach into the official religion.

The good news is, there are ways to tell if you’ve gotten yourself involved with a cult.

Wong gave some pointers, such a charismatic leader who says only his teaching is the best and is the absolute truth.

“It’s a red flag when they don’t let you go to other centres and they try to pull you away from your family members, saying you are unique. When you are in your most fragile state, they say they are your saviour.

“What they want you to do is distance yourself from your community, so no one knows what you are doing. You start giving them money and believe this is the only way of redemption,” cautioned Wong.

Several workshops will be held at the forum throughout the day, including the future of Malaysian Buddhism, sharing sessions and how to train leaders to deal with cult issues among other pressing matters, all conducted in an informal discussion style.

The organisers also plan to launch the Integral Cult Awareness Network (iCAN), a national awareness campaign that collects data and experiences from victims.

“We hope victims will speak out, so we can find a way to help them emotionally and legally,” said Wong.

The Malaysia Dharma Stream Forum 2018 will take place on Sunday at Nexus Connexion Conference and Event Centre, Bangsar South from 8am to 6pm.

The forum will be attended by Buddhist group representatives from Malaysia and Singapore, social and religious scholars, community services providers, legal professionals, commentators, university students, media and the public.

https://www.malaymail.com/s/1652855/how-to-tell-if-youre-in-a-cult

May 8, 2016

Ariffin Mohammed, cult leader – obituary

The Telegraph
MAY 5, 2016


 

Ariffin Mohammed
Ariffin Mohammed, who has died aged 74, incurred the wrath of the Malaysian authorities by founding a religious sect which worshipped a bizarre assortment of mostly concrete structures, including a giant teapot, vase and umbrella, on his "Sky Kingdom" commune on the east coast of the Malaysian peninsula.

Known to his followers as Ayah ("Master") Pin, Ariffin was nothing if not ecumenical, claiming to be a reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, Shiva and Mohammed – as well as the King of the Sky. He claimed to be able to make himself invisible, and to be gifted with the ability to kill a man using the power of thought.

His cult had no moral or religious teachings of its own. Instead Ariffin claimed that members could follow any religion they chose and be sure that their prayers would be answered, because "I am representing the ministers of the sky kingdom, to unite humankind, regardless of race or religion."

Founded in the mid-1980s, the Sky Kingdom attracted thousands of followers and in the mid-1990s, following a divine revelation, embarked on a series of Disney World style building projects.

As well as ceremonial buildings, they dug a well which pumped holy water into a giant teapot, which in turn poured it into a giant blue vase. They built faux Greco-Roman pillars and a huge 23 ft high golden umbrella to offer shelter "beneath God". Other monuments included a concrete fishing boat representing Noah's Ark.

Apostasy from Islam is illegal in Malaysia, and in 1997 the local religious affairs council issued a fatwa against the group. In theory, however, religious freedom is guaranteed by the Malaysian constitution and for a time Ariffin and his subversive teapot were left in peace. But as Islamic parties began to grow in strength the government came under increasing pressure to act.

In 2001 Ariffin was convicted of "belittling Islam", jailed for 11 months and fined 2,900 Malaysian ringgits. The Religious Affairs Office hoped that his incarceration would cause the movement to collapse, but it continued to attract new followers, especially among students and indigenous minority groups.

In July 2005 the commune hit the world's headlines when a group of robed zealots, popularly believed to have the authorities' approval, attacked the group's headquarters, throwing Molotov cocktails, smashing windows and setting fire to buildings and icons.

The authorities described the assailants as "ordinary members of the public who are so angry with the deviationist teachings of Ayah Pin that they decided to take matters into their own hands", and when cult followers went to report the attack to the police, 48 of them, including three of Ariffin's four wives, were arrested and charged with violating a fatwa banning contact with their leader.

A few days later about 40 workers with bulldozers and trucks descended on the commune to destroy the teapot, boat, vase and other structures – a raid carried out on the grounds that inappropriate buildings had been constructed on agricultural land.

Ariffin Mohammed was born in 1943 into a Muslim family. Aged 10 he became seriously ill and, by his own account, was visited by an angel. Years later the angel returned, setting him on his path as a spiritual leader.

After the July 2005 attack, Ariffin went on the run, eventually slipping over the border into Thailand. In 2007 the commune, down to 24 members, reportedly chose a new leader – a former chief inspector of police. However, the faithful are said to believe that Araffin will return one day as the Imam Mahdi.

Ariffin Mohammed, born 1943, died April 22 2016

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/05/05/ariffin-mohammed-cult-leader--obituary/

Jan 9, 2015

Recruitment akin to cult-like following, says expert

The Star Online
January 9, 2015


PETALING JAYA: The penchant that some Malaysians have for the Islamic State (IS) terror group is psychological, similar to the reason why some people are attracted to cults, said criminologist Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat.

Cult membership was not about monetary gain but about propagating the group’s statements and achieving its goals, said the Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer who has researched the topic.

“Cult related behaviour has been studied from as far back as the 1860s and cult membership appears to be influenced by charismatic leaders, issues that are a uniting factor and the apparent freedom of choice,” she said in an interview yesterday.

The evidence suggested that there was some gullibility at the onset of the membership but this later strengthened into passive compliance due to the forming of personal relationships within the cult, she said.

Dr Geshina said that the affiliation with IS may be attractive to some individuals who were dissatisfied or disenchanted with the way things were in their lives.

“These individuals join the terror group and attempt to bring on change by the use of force and aggression.

“The common link among such militants is the willingness to use violence while justifying its use strengthens the group and provides a sense of elitism to its members.

“This also gives the group and its members power over others,” she said.

According to Dr Geshina, IS recruiters used subtle methods to attract members.

“Incidences of the blind acceptance of misinterpreted religious texts is high,” she said.

“Also, parts of religious text are used incorrectly to justify its non-conforming behaviour, which lays the foundation for further deviance.”

Dr Geshina said it was important for individuals to learn the Al-Quran and sunnah by attending religious classes at registered schools.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/01/09/Recruitment-akin-to-cultlike-following-says-expert/