L'autre visage de la France - et de l'Europe
C'est capital de faire remarquer qu'il existe en France et en Europe quelques signes encourageants d'insatisfaction
vis-à-vis des méthodes discriminatoires et tactiques utilisées par le mouvement anti-sectes.
C'est avec quelque soulagement que j'ai appris qu'un journal célèbre, Le Monde, rapportait récemment
que les "méthodes" du Président de la MILS étaient de plus en plus ouvertement critiquées."
31 Deux des plus fameux historiens français, René Raymond et Jean Bauberot ont récemment critiqué
les campagnes anti-sectes en France. Le meneur des universitaires français constitutionnels, Jacques Robert,
critique aussi les méthodes des activistes anti-sectes. Le président de la Fédération
Protestante de France, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, a pris publiquement parti contre les activités de la MILS.
Il disait récemment "la MILS souhaite faire une distinction entre "religion" et "secte"
mais c'est en contradiction formelle avec la loi et la Constitution: la loi indique qu'il n'y aura pas de contrôle
à priori sur les associations." 32
Le journaliste repecté en matières religieuses Henri Tincq, du journal Le Monde, met en doute les
activités anti-sectaires en France. [H. Tincq n'est pas le moins
du monde respecté hors des milieux pro-sectaires] Dans un nombre
de cas de plus en plus élevé, dont plusieurs en 1999 et 2000, des tribunaux français ont fait
tomber des actions gouvernementales contre les Témoins de Jéhovah et d'autres groupes populairement
désignés comme "sectes". Les tribunaux ont noté que "secte" n'est pas
un terme de la jurisprudence et que l'insertion d'un nom dans la liste des 172 ne devrait pas avoir de conséquences
légales. Espérons que les esprits rationnels de France prévaudront et qu'un Emile Zola sortira
du rang et exposera les méthodes de la campagne publique anti-sectaire.[c'est
fort heureux que les tribunaux ne tombent pas dans la petite erreur commise lors du jugement d'appel de Lyon, qui
pouvait laisser supposer qu'un tribunal français reconnaissait la scientologie comme religion, erreur ensuite
rectifiée par la Cour de Cassation]
Il existe d'autres signes encourageants en Europe. La Cour Européenne des Droits de l'Homme a pris plusieurs
décisions contre des gouvernements ayant exercé des discriminations contre des minorités religieuses,
en particulier dans les affaires impliquant des témoins de Jéhovah. Lors d'une décision très
intéressante, la Cour européenne de Justice (bras de l'Union Européenne) a récemment
publié une décision critiquant les efforts du gouvernement français pour "restreindre
la circulation libre des capitaux", afin d'empècher l'église de scientologie de recevoir des
fonds provenant de l'extérieur de la France. Nombre d'organisations pour les droits de l'homme, y compris
la Fédération Internationale d'Helsinki, Human Rights Watch et Droits de l'Homme sans frontières,
font régulièrement des rapports (et critiquent) des actions gouvernementales discriminatoires quant
aux religions. [On note qu'un sponsor de cette fédération
"des droits de l'homme" n'est autre que... la scientologie; on notera aussi que le fisc français
faisait preuve de courage à ne pas accepter un chèque de 48 millions d'origine douteuse - cadeau
empoisonné à une secte qui doit actuellement quelques 120 millions à la République]
Recommandations
Il n'existera de véritable respect de la liberté de religion et de diversité religieuse que
lorsque les européens le désireront. Les Etats-Unis ne peuvent certes pas provoquer cet évènement,
que ce soit par les cajoleries ou les sanctions. Du fait de l'anti-américanisme en augmentation dans le
mouvement anti-sectes, comme on peut l'observer dans le rapport de la MILS, les Etats-Unis doivent rester prudents
quant à leurs méthodes de promouvoir la liberté religieuse. J'aimerais faire quatre recommandations,
la dernière touchant les groupes religieux des USA.
En premier lieu, le Departement d'Etat US devrait surveiller plus complètement plus vigoureusement les mouvements
anti-sectes à la fois multilatéralement et bilatéralement.
[en bref, c'est "nous" qu'ils veut surveiller? Mais nous, on n'a
jamais été impliqués dans les crimes et les homicides de certaines sectes, n'est-ce pas? Cela
montre parfaitement bien l'état d'esprit de préjugés et d'idées toutes faites pilotées
par les scientologues. Big Brother veut donc établir une police
de la pensée , dotée d'exceptions en faveur des criminels
comme la direction de la scientologie, pour nous les refuser à nous? Un comble pour un "défenseur".
On m'excusera d'être aussi sarcastique envers quelqu'un que je soupçonnerais volontiers d'être
purement et simplement un scientologue ou un des séïdes "honorables" de la secte.
Jeremy T. Gunn, je préfère ma tolérance à la vôtre,
mon impartialité à la vôtre, les lois de mon pays aux lois du vôtre, et la criminalité
existant dans le mien à celle du vôtre.]
En second lieu, compte tenu de mon expérience pendant que je travaillais à l'Office de Liberté
religieuse Internationale, je dois aussi recommander au congrès de prendre vraiment la responsabilité
de financer complètement le Département d 'Etat. [ ces gens voyagent sans cesse aux frais de leurs contribuables puisque le rapport US
touche plus d'une centaine de pays - , ils émettent des rapports internationaux énormes, sont parfois
très grassement payés, et veulent davantage]. Selon mes observations, le personnel du département d'état est généralement
surchargé de travail et pas assez assisté. Lorsque le Congrès crée de nouvelles responsabilités
pour le département d'état, il devrait aussi lui fournir les ressources suffisantes pour faire correctement
son travail. La gène la plus importante que nous rencontrions pour surveiller et promouvoir la tolérance
religieuse et les droits de l'homme n'est à mon avis pas un manque d'ardeur au travail, mais un manque de
temps et de ressources pour bien faire ce qui doit l'être. [Qui
a demandé aux Etats-Unis de policer des pays? Ou d'y entretenir des espions qui font passer aux USA des
données privées et économiques tout à fait confidentielles ? M. Gunn serait-il naïf?]
En troisième lieu, le Congrès devrait assister le Département d'Etat en promouvant simplement
une approche internationale des droits de l'homme. Le plus fort argument rhétorique des critiques US, c'est
que les Etats-Unis ne jouent pas un rôle continu de promotion des droits de l'homme, tel que le démontre
une répugnance à ratifier des traités internationaux ou à incorporer des normes internationales
dans les lois américaines. Pendant
que nous encourageons la France à incorporer des normes internationales sur la liberté de religion
et de croyance dans la loi domestique française, nous répugnons à faire des concessions similaires.
[Bravo encore, mais vos politiques aiment presque tous la peine de mort.
Je me trompe? Voir néanmoins la liste de certaines conventions non signées par les USA, fournie par
M. Gunn. Il a omis les plus importantes: Convention Internationale des droits de l'enfants, application véritable
de la Convention pour le désarmement nucléaire, convention pour l'abolition des mines anti-personnels
etc.]
Quatrièmement, je pense que la communauté religieuse US peut davantage s'impliquer dans la promotion
de la liberté religieuse ailleurs [pour nous refiler leurs sectes,
églises de miracles, et prédicateurs milliardaires? No thanks.]
Il serait par exemple très utile que les chefs catholiques rencontrent
leur coréligionnaires étrangers et les engagent à des efforts destinés à réduire
la discrimination religieuse. Je crois en effet qu'en Europe, l'influence la plus grande pourrait être exercée
par l'église catholique. [M. Gunn a dû oublier de lire ce
que dit le Pape ces denrières années, ce qui en dit long sur ses compétences religieuses.
Le Pape ne cesse de promouvoir les droits de l'homme. Mais pas les religions bidon, même s'il s'abaisse parfois
pour des raisons politiques à reconnaître des mouvements catholiques assez extrémistes comme
l'Opus Dei, dont je préfère ne pas rappeler les activités sous Franco.] Tandis qu'aux Etats-Unis toutes les croyances peuvent
aider, les religions que voici, largement pratiquées et respectées en Europe, catholicisme, Luthérianisme,
Orthodoxie, et Eglise Réformée, peuvent largement aider à promouvoir la tolérance. [c'est ça, pour ouvrir les portes aux
commerces américains totalitaires de style scientologie? No Thanks.]
Conclusion
Je suis assez confiant en le fait que dans les vingt années à venir, la manie anti-sectes sera considérée
comme un passage bizarre et dicrédité de l'historie de France et d'autres pays européens [si les scientologies et autres Moonistes disparaissent, M. Gunn aura en partie raison:
on considérera en Europe comme ailleurs les gens qui ont vu plus loin que le bout de leur nez - les anti-sectes-
comme des bienfaiteurs de l'humanité: pouvez-vous observer l'énorme taux criminel de votre pays,
M. Gunn, en raison de votre mode de vie et de vos "religions" de ce type, qui donnent l'exemple du crime?] Les craintes publiques observables en Allemagne
il y a seulement quatre ans ont pour l'essentiel disparu. [oui? Surtout parce qu'on y a mis la scientologie sous contrôle, et en quasi faillite.
La capacité d'observation et les mérites que Gunn s'attribue indirectement sont décidément
inverses l'un de l'autre.] Il reste la question de savoir combien de
temps il faudra pour que les pays européens s'engagent dans une vraie tentative pour se focaliser sur les
problèmes et les résoudre, plutôt qu'ostraciser des catégories de groupes. [M. Gunn semble ignorer, encore? - que depuis des
décennies, la France avait aussi déterminé que les Objecteurs
de Conscience avaient le droit d'échapper au service armé,
ce qui avait règlé une bonne part des problèmes légaux que posent les TJs. Bien sûr,
les TJs ne risquent pas d'être acceptés vraiment par le grand public tant qu'ils insisteront à
vouloir prècher la bonne parole avec insistance, comme ils le font... mais c'est leur problème, et
les français s'en fichent et ne vont pas au-delà de leur refuser l'entrée de leur maison:
allons-nous aussi être considérés comme "discriminateurs" sous prétexte que,
comme chez les américains, il nous arrive de refuser d'écouter la version et interprétation
TJ de la Bible? Puis-je rappeler à M. Gunn que les crimes de haine anti-homosexuels sont nombreux aux USA,
et souvent perpétrés par des "religieux", et que parmi les groupes acceptés comme
religieux là-bas, on trouve des groupes archi-racistes, des suprématistes blancs assassins?] Le gouvernement de Vichy n'a duré que
quatre ans. Nous pouvons espérer que les excès des activistes anti-sectaires ne dureront pas plus
longtemps [Il semblerait que Gunn ait copié contre les français
les défauts que l'ONU reprochait aux scientologues, quand ils se comparaient à des victimes du nazisme.
Où a-t'il appris les "manières? Dans quelle "église"? Je cesse donc ici ma
critique de son texte, dont tous les arguments paraissent passés au feu de la moulinette OSA/scientologie,
les uns après les autres; son comportement est extraordinairement "typique", puisque cet adjectif
lui plaît tant: on fait ce qu'on reproche aux autres de faire. J'en suis prèt à perdre mon
calme.
Et je conclurai de mon côté en constatant que loin de vouloir
la paix et l'entente avec les anti-sectaires, puisqu'il n'a pas écouté ni la MILS lors des "auditions",
ni les antisectaires, M. Gunn veut la guerre.]
FOOTNOTES:
1 A prize-winning 1999 documentary film recounting the story of M.
Chevrier is entitled The Children of Chabannes, directed by Lisa Gossels
and Dean Wetherell. Ms. Gossels generously provided me with a transcript
of the film.
2 For a discussion of Vichy France and its attitudes and laws against
Jews, see Robert O. Paxton, Vichy France: OM Guard and New Order,
1940-1944 (1972), pp. 168-85.
3 I wish to be clear on one very important point. Although I will argue
below that many in France are using the same language and methodology of
prejudice against new religious movements that previously were employed
against the Jews, the resulting legal actions in France are very
different. No one in France is advocating massive arrests or incarceration
of members of new religious movements. All serious proposals urge that
legal measures be employed and that human rights be recognized.
Nevertheless, there are some frightening broader similarities to Vichy in
some extreme cases, such as the 1993 raid on the Children of God (now The
Family) community in Aix-en Provence. In that case, 200 heavily armed
police arrived during the night and dragged members of the group into
custody, alleging that they had committed child abuse. In February of this
year, the court in Aix-en-Provence finally dropped all charges against the
group and closed down the investigation.
Do you believe that? This group has been heavily using pedophily and incest
as well as prostitution for decades. Who could be sure they ceased to do it? A group like Hare Khrishnas has escaped
to such searches in USA, where hundreds of children have been abused sexually, from 3 years age on, tortured and
abused as children for decades. 44 of them have done a mass complaint some days ago. And the scientology group
has at least 3 private gulags running under the same sun. Whats' best?
4 International standards for freedom of religion and belief are set out
in a number of international documents ratified by. The countries of
Western Europe, including the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the 1989
Vienna Concluding Document of the Conference on Security and Co- operation
in Europe. These instruments prohibit discrimination on the basis of
religion. They also guarantee the freedom of religion and belief,
provided that the exercise of these freedoms does not cause harm to the
public welfare.
5 Europeans believe that their countries have been more willing to accept
and apply international norms than has the United States. Whereas all
European countries have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights,
the United States has not ratified the comparable InterAmerican Convention
on Human Rights.
Nor has the United States agreed to submit itself to the jurisdiction of
the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Therefore, criticisms that the
United States might wish to make that European states are not applying
international standards should be well-tempered by the recognition that
the Europeans are, after all, ultimately willing to accept international
review of their laws and practices and that the United States is not.
6 There is need for some clarification on terminology. In English, the
term "cult" is widely understood to be a pejorative term, whereas "sect"
more generally refers to a branch or division within a religion. In
French, the term "culte" is a neutral term that refers to religious
bodies, whereas "secte" generally now is employed as a pejorative term
(although it also has a technical meaning). When "secte" is used by
Francophone governments, whether in France, Belgium, or the
French-speaking areas of Switzerland, it is understood to be a derogatory
term. In German, "Sekten" generally has the same negative connotations as
the French "sectes." Thus the more accurate translation of the German
"Sekten" and the French "sectes," is the English word "cults." The German
parliamentary investigation, known as the Enquete Commission, originally
used the term "Sects and Psycho- groups" to describe the groups they
investigated. (See text at footnotes 12 and 13 below.)
Scholars generally apply the term "new religious movements" to describe
these groups, although this term does not satisfactorily capture the
variety of groups that now come within its ambit. Some groups, for
example, may scarcely be considered "religious" and others certainly
should not be considered "new." Thus a Hindu ashram in France might be
labeled a "secte" by the government and a "new religious movement" by
scholars, even though the beliefs and practices at the ashram may be
traditional and thousands of years old. [and even if the french government
does not even make any monitoring of its activities]
7 European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Annual report on
ECRI's activities covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 1999
(27 April 2000).
8 Ibid.
9 Examples include the Union Nationale des Associations de Defense de la
Famille et de l'Individu (UNADFI), Centre Contre les Manipulations
Mentales (CClVIM), and, within the United States, the American Family
Foundation.
10 I should add that I personally wish that I did not need to say this. I
have spent some years of my life in France and I know and admire the face
of France represented by people such as M. Chevrier. [That's merely hypocrite.
If you did not wish to need to say it, don't say. Be consistent]
11 See In Good Faith - Society and the new religious movements (1998) (the
Swedish government's English summary of the report), section 1.4: "In
France the state has on the whole made common cause with the anti- cult
movement .... "The French parliament recently amended French law to allow
these militant anti-sect groups legal standing to participate in
prosecutions and legal actions against so-called "sects," thereby
encouraging a common cause between private anti-sect groups and official
government policy. Before becoming President of MILS, M. Vivien was the
President of CCMM, one of the two prominent anti-sect groups. [so what?
Is that a reason for pretending he's biased? He's not, except perhaps - perhaps - on scientology, whose behaviour
has never changed, and whose crimes continue to appear similar to before, so, the judgements are already done ,
but based on FACTS.]
12 For discussion of the terms, see footnote 6 above.
13 New Religious and Ideological Communities and Psychogroups in the
Federal Republic of Germany (1998), p. 295.
14 See, for example, Agence France Presse, "France-USA-Sects," June 14,
1999. "A person connected ("proche") to the Church of Scientology was a
part of an American delegation that came to conduct an inquest in the name
of the Department of State .... "(All translations from the French are my
own.)
15 MILS, Rapport (January 2000), p. 24-25. Although the religions of the
experts ought not be relevant, it may be noted that Dr. Massimo
Introvigne is a Catholic [extremist catholic, a full size liar and dishonest
man totally biased toward scientology, using the same methodologies as yours.],
Canon Michael Bourdeaux is an Anglican, and
Master Alain Garay is a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. M.Garay is a
distinguished French lawyer who has won several religious discrimination
cases before the European Court of Human Rights.
16 La Vie, May 11, 2000, p. 11.
17 Statement of Senator Derycke, Senate proceedings, December 16, 1999.
The opponents of the anti-sect movement sometimes accuse it of practicing
"McCarthyism." Perhaps there is no better illustration of this point than
the Senator accusing the U.S. State Department of harboring unnamed
Scientologists. [yes. Because
some are, some others paid or bribed, like Travolta who was asked to pay the assistance to scientology cult given
by President Clinton by being bentle with his portraying of a transparent picture of Clinton in a film]
18 Mission interministerielle de lutte contre les sectes, Rapport (January
2000), p. 27 (hereinafter MILS 2000 Report).
19 Agence France Presse, "France-sect," September 15, 1999.
20 See, for example, MILS 2000 Report, p. 10: Sects "repeatedly attempt,
with some success, to infiltrate democratic institutions and international
organizations, official or nongovernmental." The report provides no
evidence to support this assertion.
[ Itdoes not need. We don't show everything, we don't show our President's
sperm spots, do you see? We would'nt even do that in most criminal cases unless absolutely forced to do it] When a Bavarian government official
reported to me that Scientologists are attempting to infiltrate the
Bavarian government, I asked him what evidence he had to support the
assertion. He responded by saying that he is aware of no evidence to prove
it -- but that is what makes the infiltration attempt so insidious --
Scientologists cover up the evidence of their infiltration. When I asked
him whether Catholics had "infiltrated" the government of Bavaria, he
could not understand the relevance of my question. [you are really biased,
M. Gunn. You know perfectly the difference between a catholic working normally and a scientologist spying what
he can for his group. ]
21 Massimo Introvigne concluded, after reading the MILS report, that
"rough anti-Americanism and nationalism are offered as poor substitutes
for logical argument." In the report, the United States is accused of
having "ulterior motives" in promoting freedom of religion. MILS 2000
Report, p. 6. [You'd better read my own version to speak of unbiased manner.]
22 This is far different from the Swedish report, which is balanced and
nuanced, as well as the German report, which shows much sophistication on
many issues. While I continue to have reservations about parts of the
German report, it reveals a great deal of balance. [yes? What reservations?
That scientology is the main problem there too? Because Germany was finally overtired of scientologists? Because
perhaps Scientology is the most quoted group, always pejoratively? Why don't you say?]
23 New Religious and Ideological Communities and Psychogroups in the
Federal Republic of Germany (1998), pp. 113-15, In Good Faith - Society
and the new religious movements, section 1.6.
24 Because of parliamentary immunity, groups have not been able to bring
defamation suits regarding accusations in the reports. [wrong: I've done
far worse "accusations" in my site <http://www.antisectes.net> or in my book "'La Secte" against the most virulent of those groups, without
ever being attacked. I would have won in any case, because everything is right in these data.]
25 See Jean Michel Dumay, "Jacques Guyard Condemned for Having Called
Anthroposophy a 'Sect': The Work of the Parliamentary Commission did not
Constitute a Serious Inquiry," Le Monde, March 23, 2000.
26 In Good Faith -- Society and the new religious movements, section 1.4.
27 Le Monde, May 11, 2000.
28 MILS 2000 Report, p. 18.
29 Reuters, June 7, 2000.
30 Polish Press Agency, September 12, 1999; Jonathan Luxmoore (Warsaw),
"War or Peace with Cults," The Tablet, January 22, 2000.
31 Xavier Ternisien, January 22, 2000. The article suggested that some in
the French government insisted on redacting parts of the MILS report,
which would seem to be explained by the number of unexplained blanks on
pages in the report. See, for example, MILS 2000 Report, p. 4 (wholly
blank) and p. 29 blank except for two sentences in the center. [Nonsense:
I have a 98 sheets report from scientology, full of blanks everywhere. You take whatever you could, to add to the
fire, isn't it?]
The President of the MILS is a member of the Socialist Party who in the
past has been critical of the Vichy government. He apparently fails to
see, however, that with regard to sects, he applies the same logical
analysis as the Vichy government: deciding that a "group" is dangerous
without questioning whether individuals are individually culpable; relying
on onesided, untested minors and innuendos to reach conclusions that
groups as a whole are dangerous; smearing the motives of opponents;
refusing to hear exculpatory evidence; and attacking opponents as being
sympathizers of dangerous groups. [You are really distateful, and obsessed
by ad-hominem attacks directed from over the scientology pyramid, are'nt you?]
Analogies are used to illustrate points and they obviously do not fit all
points. It must be kept firmly in mind that while the "intellectual
analysis" of the anti-sect movement may parallel in some ways that of the
Vichy government, its actions are not even remotely comparable to the
horrendous humanitarian violations that took place under Vichy. It is the
similarity in analysis that causes concern, not a similarity of behavior.
[well, I'm happy to see at least such a declaration, after all the horrendous crimes you charge upon people like
me, or upon my government. I'd say that you lack of discernment and differentiation, though. In one word, you are
very biased, and intellectually dishonest in fact, against us, and your amalgaming of cults with religions will
not help, no more than your insulting comparisons.]
32 Quoted in "Faut-il dissoudre les sectes?", La vie, May 11, 2000, p. 12.
PREPARED TESTIMONY OF REP. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN (20TH-NY)
CHAIRMAN BEFORE
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
SUBJECT - THE TREATMENT OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN WESTERN EUROPE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2000
WASHINGTON (June 14) - U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (20th-NY), Chairman of
the House International Relations Committee, made the following statement
today at a full committee hearing on the treatment of religious minorities
in Western Europe:
The Committee on International Relations meets in open session today to
take testimony on the topic of "The Treatment of Religious Minorities in
Western Europe." We do so as part of the full Committee's geographic
responsibility for Europe.
Today's hearing allows the Committee to turn its attention to a problem
that has troubled many Americans who respect and value the nations of
Western Europe -- countries who are without doubt friends of the United
States and places where in general freedom flourishes.
The "blind spot" that some of those countries seem to have is their
attitude toward religious minorities. As Ambassador Felix Rohatyn has
written with respect to France "recent actions by (its) government
vis-a-vis sects raise questions about intolerance toward religious
minorities, and contravene France's international human rights
commitments" although it "is a country with a long tradition of religious
freedom and rule of law."
I want to point out that the purpose of this hearing is not to support the
religious doctrines or other activities of the religious minorities active
in Western Europe.
But we are called on not only to protect the rights of those we like, but
of those with whom we may disagree with as well. I have put on the record
repeatedly, for example, my concern over the use of Nazi-era imagery by
supporters of Scientology in their effort to make their points about
German policy. But I am also here to say that I must defend their human
rights.
Holding or expressing a religious belief or worshiping in public and
private as one pleases is not as such forbidden by law in Western Europe.
In practice, however, expressing a minority religious belief often leads
to discrimination -- the loss of a job, of educational opportunities, of
the right to gain custody of one's own child or to be a foster parent --
which seriously burdens one's exercise of freedom of religion. Some
European governments discriminate among religions, giving some favors --
such as financial aid or simply the right of clergy of that religion to
visit a sick parishioner -- while withholding those privileges from
others.
Moreover, religious discrimination by private parties is far from
universally discouraged. It is encouraged in some cases, for example, by
the compilation and publication by governments of lists of "sects,"
although encouraging religious tolerance is an international human rights
obligation.
Such problems are complained of frequently and vociferously with respect
to Austria, Belgium, France, and Germany. It is frankly difficult to
understand how our friends in these countries can say that they have
freedom of religion, given the burdens on the free exercise of religion I
have mentioned and which will be described today.
The Committee's attention has been drawn to this issue for several
reasons. The practices to be discussed appear to be in contravention of
internationally accepted human rights standards and seek to be leading to
an atmosphere of religious intolerance.
Americans abroad who wish to evangelize, or merely to practice their
religion, professions, or businesses, face discriminatory treatment on the
basis of their religion. Emerging democracies in Eastern Europe may copy
the bad examples that are being set by some Western European countries.
And finally, the growth of political extremism on the left and right in
some of the same countries where religious discrimination appears to be on
the rise to questions of whether there are links between such
discrimination and those political trends.
PREPARED TESTIMONY OF CRAIG JENSEN CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF EXECUTIVE
SOFTWARE
BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
SUBJECT - THE TREATMENT OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN WESTERN EUROPE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2000
German Embargo/1 of American Products
Mr. Chairman, and distinguished members of the House International
Relations Committee:
Thank you for holding this hearing on religious intolerance in Western
Europe, and for giving me the opportunity to tell you about an embargo of
American products by the government of Germany.
My name is Craig Jensen. I am a citizen of the United States of America
and a living example of the realization of the American Dream.
I am the founder, owner and chief executive of Executive Software, a
company I founded in 1981 in California. Through hard work and ingenuity,
my company has grown to be one of the top 200 software companies in the
world, earning a great deal of success in the marketplace and numerous
awards for the finest products and service in the computer software
industry. Our products have been extremely thoroughly tested for safety
and effectiveness by the National Software Testing Laboratories and by
Veritest, the independent testing company responsible for granting
certification of compatibility with Microsoft's Windows operating system.
My company's products are in use in every sector of the American economy,
including fight here on Capitol Hill, and are sold extensively abroad as
well.
As you can see, I am proud of what I have accomplished in my own business.
But I am not the only American software company that is a success. Let me
be perfectly clear: No German company, indeed no company in any other
country on earth, can produce software of the quality and usefulness that
American software companies produce. We Americans have a lock on this
industry. I cannot say why exactly, but computer software is something
Americans do a far cry better than anyone else in the world. Accordingly,
this is an industry contributing terrifically to America's economic
greatness. In that setting, a foreign embargo, and particularly a German
embargo, of American software products must be viewed as a hostile act.
Purchase of my company's software products is restricted in Germany by
government edict and attempts are being made to forbid it entirely. This
is a recent development, as my products have sold well in Germany for over
a decade. What prompted the embargo is the announcement that Microsoft
Corporation's new Windows 2000 computer operating system includes a
component developed by my company.2 This fact is being used to justify
calling for a full-scale German government prohibition on the sale of
Windows 2000 in Germany.
"Why?" you might ask. Well, here is the truly heinous part. The official
reason given is that my company, Executive Software, is headed by an
"admitted" member of the Church of Scientology -- me. Yes, it is true that
I am a member of the Church of Scientology and have been for 25 years. I
am proud of it and credit much of my success to what I have learned from
my church and the writings of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. But what does
my religion have to do with selling software? Obviously, nothing. My point
is this: the German government makes no attempt to hide the fact that
their embargo is based on religious discrimination. In fact, the
government officials who have imposed it see nothing wrong with religious
discrimination, even though it violates both the German Constitution and
Germany's international human rights commitments.
As First-Amendment-loving Americans, we sometimes forget that other
countries lack this all-important freedom. Germany, a signatory to the
Helsinki Accords as well as the European Convention on Human Rights and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has a clause in
its constitution stating, "The freedom of faith, of conscience, and the
freedom of religious and ideological beliefs are inviolable." Yet the
actions of the German government in their conduct towards me and towards
American businesses, their social ostracism and stigmatization of
Scientologists and members of other minority religions clearly contravene
all these accords and conventions.
Simply put, I come here today not to complain of just a trade embargo or
religious discrimination, but to alert your attention to a combination of
the two -- a trade embargo justified on the grounds of government-mandated
religious discrimination.
Let me give you the background. In December, 1999, the German computer
magazine C'T published an article entitled "Windows 2000 In Danger of
Being Banned." The article discussed a proposed boycott of Microsoft
Corporation's Windows 2000 operating system, on the grounds that I, as
owner and CEO of Executive Software, am a Scientologist. The article came
out a few weeks before the release of Windows 2000 in February and was
apparently tuned to interfere with the release of Windows 2000 in Germany.
It was alleged in the C'T article that the Church of Scientology had made
a "brilliant move" to introduce a computer program into practically every
desk in companies, government offices and church institutions. The article
went on to insinuate that the computer program had a hidden purpose to
filch information from its German customers. These insinuations are
completely false and easily shown to be so. It is patently incredible that
even a semi-competent software engineer could believe such things. But, of
course, the software itself was not the real reason for the attack. It was
being targeted solely because of my religious affiliation.
The article even conceded that C'T experts had examined the program and
found no evidence of any peculiarities, but this led the magazine to
conclude (naturally) that the Americans were so clever that the hidden
purpose could be carded out without the German experts being able to
detect it!
In response to the story, a Microsoft spokesman defended the company's
choice of the program and stated that Microsoft does not refuse to do
business with anybody based on their religion, race, or other personal
characteristics. Microsoft has consistently maintained this position of
nondiscrimination.
But the false and discriminatory allegation soon became international
news. The German news agency DPA sent out a wire story quoting another
alleged "expert" who said that Executive Software's involvement "is of
interest to the Catholic church, the other German states, the Office for
the Protection of the Constitution (German's domestic security agency) and
German industry."
A government official from the Hamburg Ministry of the Interior fanned the
flames by boasting in the press that in Bavaria and Hamburg, the
government does not use the services of or products from companies owned
by Scientologists. While such a blatantly discriminatory admission would
be condemned immediately in this country, in the climate of intolerance
created by the German government, it is allowed to pass.
That particular Hamburg official heads an office called "Working Group
Against Scientology" which receives $1 million annually from the Hamburg
government.
This Hamburg government office, along with their counterparts from the
Ministry of the Interior, created the so-called "sect filter" which
forbids employment or contractual relations with individuals participating
in the Church of Scientology. I have even seen a sect filter which makes a
course in business training conditional on an individual declaring that he
is not a member of a "sect or free church." Employment applications and
contracts typically include a "sect filter" clause requiting one to
explicitly declare that he is not affiliated with my religion. And to make
sure that government officials can identify and thereby actively practice
discrimination against Scientologists, private businesses owned by members
of my Church are entered into the German government's computers with a
chillingly evocative "S" notation. The extent and pervasiveness of
governmental religious discrimination in Germany may be gauged by the
decision of a U.S. federal immigration court to grant asylum to a German
Scientologist on the grounds that she would face religious persecution if
she had to return to Germany.
"Sect filter" declarations such as I have described are now in wide use by
private and public companies throughout Germany, including Deutschebank,
Daimler-Chrysler and Lufthansa. Indeed, in 1998, the New York branch of
Deutschehank dismissed an employee for no other reason than that she is a
member of the Church of Scientology. Fortunately, unlike in Germany, the
United States has strong anti-discrimination laws, and Deutschebank was
forced to pay the Scientologist $125,000 in damages. Indeed, upon being
alerted to them, the American headquarters of Ford Motor Company, GE
Capital and IBM instructed their German branches to discontinue use of
these hateful "filters." Unfortunately, however, other American companies
operating in Germany are being compelled to use these sect filters, to an
extent not yet fully determined.
Since the first of the year, the German government attacks on American
companies Executive Software and Microsoft have escalated. A spokesman for
the Hamburg Ministry of the Interior stated that the Ministry would
attempt to use Windows 2000 only after deleting the program produced by
Executive Software.
After further reports appeared in the news media, the Federal Office for
Security and Information Technology (acronym "BSI" in German) informed
Microsoft that the agency would not certify Windows 2000 for sale in
Germany because part of the program was produced by a company owned by a
Scientologist.
The events I describe have been widely reported in newspapers and
magazines both here and abroad, by customers of my company, and by our
European resellers and distributors. An article in the German magazine Der
Spiegel indicated that the German government's Office for the Protection
of the Constitution has asked the Ministry of the Interior to examine the
intellectual property source code for the portion of Windows 2000 produced
by the Scientologist-owned company. This article fueled the climate of
suspicion and intolerance being generated against my company and my
church.
I find the circumstances maddening and frustrating. It is humbling for me
to come before you and present this matter. In fact, if it were solely for
my own benefit, I would not do it at all.
I come to you today on behalf of others who may not be able to shrug off a
single market such as Germany and make up for the lost sales by redoubled
efforts elsewhere. I come to you on behalf of my friends, partners and
business associates who are suffering at the hands of official German
bigots. I also come before you on behalf of all Scientologists, both
American and German, who are forbidden employment, political party
affiliation and even schooling for their children because of their
religious beliefs.
The U.S. State Department has criticized the German government for
religious discrimination against Scientologists and members of other
minority religions in each of its last seven annual human fights reports.
The State Department's first annual report on international religious
freedom, published last September, reiterated those criticisms, and
particularly criticized the use by German state and federal governments of
the "sect filters." Indeed, there are now more than 30 reports criticizing
governmental religious discrimination in Germany from bodies including the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, the U.N. Human
Rights Committee and the Commission for Security and Cooperation in
Europe.
This year, for the first time, the U.S. Trade Representative, in her
report on discriminatory foreign procurement practices, placed Germany on
the watch list over its abuse of Scientologists' rights. The report states
that upon learning of German government clauses excluding Scientologists
from contractual relations, "the Administration raised its concerns to the
German government and continues to press the Germans to repeals this
discriminatory policy." According to Executive Order 13116, signed by
President Clinton on March 31, 1999, identification in the report
indicates that a foreign country "maintains, in government procurement, a
significant pattern or practice of discrimination against U.S. products or
services which results in identifiable harm to U.S. businesses ...."The
inclusion of Germany in the Trade Representative's report therefore shows
that, in the view of the U.S. government, Germany's discriminatory
practices are not only a blatant violation of human rights but a threat to
American trade as well.
But despite all these condemnations of German government policy targeting
American and German citizens because of their religious beliefs, there is
no discernable change in German government practices. In fact, as the
German government has continued to flagrantly violate its international
human rights commitments, the discrimination has worsened. Official German
discrimination broadened from individuals to private corporations and now
to corporations who use suppliers who employ or are owned by members of
minority religions - while official statements from the German government
have confirmed that public bodies expressly ban purchases from companies
owned by or associated with Scientologists, effectively prohibiting the
purchase of U.S. products. Indeed, the circumstances involving my company
and Microsoft are precisely as set forth in the Trade Representative's
report.
We had hoped that the election of a new government in Germany a year and
half ago would mark a more liberal approach to human rights, one sensitive
to the requirements of democracy and international law. While the
Schroeder government is less outspoken in attempting to justify its
discriminatory practices than the discredited Kohl administration, it has
not only shown no interest in ending the discrimination, but is escalating
it. The Federal Economics Ministry, which already employs a so-called
"sect filter", is in the process of exporting it to all federal government
ministries of Germany. Thus, the German government is neck-deep in these
human rights abuses, and is the source of the climate of intimidation and
intolerance that minority religious members face.
Mr. Chairman, I am thankful for your actions and those of other members of
your committee such as Congressmen Salmon and Payne, who have shown
themselves to be sensitive to this issue. I am also thankful for the
actions of the Administration, but, unfortunately, these have not yet
ended or curtailed the German government's discriminatory policies and
practices. So, Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee, I
ask you to take up this matter as one that is vital for the preservation
of basic human rights in Europe. Perhaps the most effective action that
you can take at this time is to give your full support to the Resolutions
on Germany- HR. 388 and S. 230 - which call upon Congress and the
President to demand that Germany abide by international human rights law.
Through these Resolutions, I ask you to send a message to the German
government that the Congress and the people of the United States will not
tolerate either human rights violations of a religious nature or
discrimination against American trade or American products such as our
computer software, the pride of our new economy.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear before this
Committee.
FOOTNOTES:
1 Embargo: any restriction imposed upon commerce by edict.
2 The component included in Windows 2000 is called "disk defragmenter," a
tool for consolidating disks that have become fragmented through use.
Defragmenting the files restores system performance to like-new state,
increasing the computer user's productivity, extending the life of the
computer and reducing the computer's total cost of ownership. Windows
products have included components designed and implemented by Executive
Software for six years. Why this recent announcement provoked such a
violent response is a matter for speculation.
PREPARED TESTIMONY OF PHILIP BRUMLEY GENERAL COUNSEL FOR JEHOVAH'S
WITNESSES BEFORE THE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE
SUBJECT - THE TREATMENT OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN WESTERN EUROPE; EFFECT
ON INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL AND PERSONAL LIVES
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2000
INTRODUCTION
Fifty-seven years ago on this very day--June 14, the nation's annual Flag
Day--the Supreme Court handed down one of its most historic decisions:
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. Speaking for the
Court, Justice Jackson stated: "If there is any fixed star in our
Constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can
prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or
other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their
faith therein."i This ruling guaranteed religious freedom for Jehovah's
Witnesses in connection with our Bible-based belief that saluting any flag
violates God's demand for exclusive devotion.ii
Even though most citizens do not agree with our doctrinal stand on this
issue, the fact remains that the United States has gone on record that it
will defend our right to adhere to this belief. In contrast, many nations
of Western Europe are becoming increasingly equivocal about whether they
will protect genuine freedom of worship.
When governments determine that religious beliefs do not meet standards of
"loyalty" to the State or constitute a breach of public order and withhold
religious recognition or registration, where does that lead us? Will
governments next dictate what beliefs are acceptable in democratic
societies? When governments fail to acknowledge any distinction between
commercial enterprises and voluntary, self-sacrificing endeavors to
promote humanitarian, religious endeavors, what will happen to the concept
of charities? Will volunteerism be taxed out of existence? Can a
government legitimately assert that it protects religion freedom when at
the same time it uses its taxing power to oppress those who belong to
certain religions?
We will provide some details of these trends using France, Belgium,
Germany, Austria, and Sweden as examples. The following facts speak for
themselves and document the current state of the basic human right of
religious self-determination in Western Europe.
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN FRANCE
Records show that Jehovah's Witnesses have been active in France since
1891. This spring more than 204,000 attended the most sacred celebration
of the year for Jehovah's Witnesses, the Memorial of Christ's death.
Certainly Jehovah's Witnesses are not a "new" religious movement and can
hardly be called a "minority" religion when we are the third-largest
Christian religion in France.
The recent attempt of the French government to officially deny religious
status to Jehovah's Witnesses began with an adverse ruling by the Conseil
d'Etat in a 1985 inheritance case. (The French will aver that, under the
rubric of the "wall of separation of Church and State," the French
government grants official recognition to no religion. However, the facts
speak otherwise. Recognized religions are extended benefits, such as being
able to receive charitable bequests.) The Conseil d'Etat refused to allow
one of Jehovah's Witnesses to leave a portion of her estate to the
Association of Jehovah's Witnesses in France because the court did not
agree with our doctrinal rejection of blood transfusions and refusal to
participate in military service. The fact that there are 3,000 French
doctors who are willing to operate without blood completely eviscerates
the first basis for the court's ruling. The passing of a law on
alternative non-military service in France that provides a conscientiously
acceptable method for young Jehovah's Witnesses to render "Caesar his
due,/iii does away with the other reason for the Court's refusal to
recognize the legitimacy of the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses in France.
In spite of these favorable developments, the French Parliamentary
Commissions on Sects have made the situation worse by issuing biased
reports containing lists of supposedly "dangerous sects" and including
Jehovah's Witnesses among them.
Institutional Consequences:
A direct result of the discriminatory treatment toward Jehovah's Witnesses
in France is a 60-percent tax that has been levied on donations received
by the Association of Jehovah's Witnesses in France. Next week, on June
20, 2000, a hearing is scheduled in Nanterre on this matter. Supreme Court
Justice John Marshall wisely observed: "The power to tax involves the
power to destroy."iv Although governments are fully authorized, both
Biblically and secularly, to tax their constituents, this particular tax
has no other purpose but to make it impossible for Jehovah's Witnesses in
France to financially support the operations of their own faith. That
means 60 cents of each dollar contributed to support our annual Bible
conventions, operate our Kingdom Halls (houses of worship), and fund
national relief measures will go to the French government. Only forty
cents on the dollar will be left to use for the charitable reason for
which it was given. No religion could financially continue to operate
under such a punitive tax.
To our knowledge, no other religion is being taxed 60-percent on personal
contributions made in good faith to their church. Instead, other
religions enjoy tax exemptions granted by the Conseil d'Etat. Not even
most minority religions are taxed--in fact, we are only aware of one other
case where personal donations to a religious association have been
questioned v. The French tax authorities have clearly indicated at the
conclusion of their 1996 and 1997 audits that the association that is now
being exorbitantly taxed "participates in the maintenance and practice of
Jehovah's Witnesses' form of worship."vi Those audits established the
not-for-profit nature of the associations used by Jehovah's Witnesses.
Recently, an audit by the international firm of Grant Thornton likewise
established the not-for-profit character of all associations used by
Jehovah's Witnesses in France. Upholding the religious nature of
Jehovah's Witnesses' associations, there have recently been four favorable
Courts of Appeals decisions exempting Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses
(houses of worship) from paying land (property) tax. This is part of the
process established in France to grant religious recognition. Needless to
say, French authorities have appealed all four cases which means that this
issue will ultimately be heard by the Conseil d'Etat. Should that court
rule in favor of religious freedom as Justice Jackson's court did in this
country in 1943, it will not be necessary for us to pursue this matter to
the European Court of Human Rights.
Personal Consequences:
The negative effects on a personal level from the parliamentary
mislabeling of Jehovah's Witnesses as a "dangerous sect" are widespread.
Schoolteachers and day care workers who are Jehovah's Witnesses have been
targets of smear campaigns, unwanted job transfers, or have been fired
because they were perceived as being a threat to the safety, morals, and
education of children under their care only because of belonging to a
supposed "sect." A new aspect of the consequences on a personal level is
illustrated in the case of Rene Schneerberger, a minister of Jehovah's
Witnesses, who has been corresponding regularly with inmates in the French
prison system to provide spiritual guidance. Some prisoners, who are not
Jehovah's Witnesses, requested subscriptions from Rene to The Watchtower
and Awake, the official journals of Jehovah's Witnesses.
In October 1999, the prisoners advised Mr. Schneerberger that they were no
longer receiving these religious magazines. The reason given by the
director of the Bapaume prison was that the magazines were suspended
because of the "sectarian" nature of Jehovah's Witnesses as "recognized by
the parliamentary commissions." The suspension has not been lifted.vii
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN BELGIUM
Belgium's roots with Jehovah's Witnesses also trace back to 1891. At the
Memorial celebration of Christ's death held this spring, there were more
than 46,000 in attendance.
Belgium also had its parliamentary commissions and reports on sects in
1997 with ongoing consequences. Although Jehovah's Witnesses have no
"institutional consequences" as a result of being included in the
discriminatory list of sects that was published, there are effects on a
personal level.
In some schools of the French-speaking community in Belgium, students who
are Jehovah's Witnesses are feeling the effect of being, perceived as
belonging to a "dangerous sect." For example, a teacher in the Ecole des
Pagodes/viii issued a paper for class discussions that said: "In Belgium,
there are 189 variable dangerous sects and 37 are hard- core ones, such
as--Jehovah's Witnesses (among others)."
In child custody disputes, some judges have a high regard for Jehovah's
Witnesses and have granted custody to the Witness parents and rejected the
allegation of opposing parties who claim that Jehovah's Witnesses are
dangerous. But note what was stated in two cases in the Flemish section of
Belgium:
- "It constitutes a grave danger for the children taking into account the
influence of the "Jehovah-sect" of which the mother seems to be a
member./ix
- "Jehovah's Witnesses are not to be viewed as a religion but as a
movement of fanatics."x
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN GERMANY
In 1891, Jehovah's Witnesses became established in Germany. This year over
276,000 attended the Memorial of Christ's death again not a new religion
and not an insignificant minority. In the not-too-distant past, Jehovah's
Witnesses survived the Nazi concentration camps and Communist persecution
on German soil.
The right of Jehovah's Witnesses to remain neutral in politics has again
become the focus of a legal struggle over our right to have the same legal
status that is granted to other recognized religions. The denial of this
favored status to Jehovah's Witnesses is based on our Bible-based and
historical stand of not electing individuals to political office. Recall
that Jesus told Pilate: "My kingdom is no part of this world."xi The
German State has determined that this is not an acceptable belief in a
democratic society. Since freedom of conscience and belief is one of the
most basic and universally protected human fights, what should have been a
mere logistical formality has transcended into a human rights straggle.xii
Institutional Consequences:
The Federal Administrative Court made a decision that has far-reaching
consequences for Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany. They reversed two lower
court decisions and refused recognition to Jehovah's Witnesses as a
"public law" corporation. Jehovah's Witnesses had fulfilled all designated
requirements, but the State introduced a new element when considering our
application. It was decided that Jehovah's Witnesses do not have the
degree of loyalty required by the German State to extend favorable-status
treatment. This decision is based on the fact that historically Jehovah's
Witnesses refrain from participation in political elections or holding
political office. Not even the German Constitution requires mandatory
participation by all citizens in the electoral process, but evidently the
Federal Administrative Court requires this of Jehovah's Witnesses. We have
contested this decision through a complaint to the Constitutional Court.
Due to this federal-level decision, the finance authorities then took the
unwarranted step to rescind the permanent nature of tax exemptions granted
to associations owning the houses of worship for Jehovah's Witnesses in
Germany. These authorities, in anticipation of a negative outcome, are
poised to declassify Jehovah's Witnesses' corporations as not being of
"common benefit." If an adverse ruling is handed down, every Kingdom Hall
in Germany will be taxed as though what goes on inside is not worship, an
assertion so ludicrous that no nation could make it and still maintain
that it guarantees religious freedom to those within its borders.
Personal Consequences:
The impact of the trend toward discrimination of members of minority
religions is well illustrated by what happened to a family from Bergheim,
where both parents are Jehovah's Witnesses. Over a period of 15 years, the
Local Youth Office in Bergheim assigned about 20 foster children to this
couple's care. After the chairwoman of an anti-cult- movement contacted
the office, they refused to renew the Witness couple's permit for a baby
girl to remain with them, although the baby had spent half her infant life
in their care. This resulted in a two- year court battle, with the court
ultimately defending the rights of the Witness parents to retain custody
of the foster child and rejecting the youth office's arguments as
completely unfounded. However, after the court case, the Local Youth
Office has not assigned any new foster children to the care of this
family. Clearly, the courts cannot legislate an end to prejudice.
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN AUSTRIA
Jehovah's Witnesses began their preaching in Austria in 1891. In April
2000, over 33,000 joined them in their sacred annual Memorial of Christ's
death.
After 20 years of seeking to be classified as a religion in Austria and
just when the courts were close to obligating the government to do so, the
government passed a new law setting up a special religious category called
"confessional community." We are the only religion immediately affected
by this law. Under this new law, we are now required to wait an
additional -year probationary period before we may once again apply for
recognition as a religion. As a result, this new law automatically and
deliberately extends Jehovah's Witnesses' -year struggle into a 30-year
wait. In the meantime, a new complaint by Jehovah's Witnesses is pending
with the Austrian Constitutional Court concerning the new law that created
this multi-tiered religious classification system.
Institutional Consequences:
The classification of "confessional community" does not allow for
performance of marriage rites, pastoral visits to hospitals or prisons,
recognition of ministers who are free from military and civil service, or
tax advantages.
Showing that not all Austrian officials share the same viewpoint, last
fall the Austrian Constitutional Court handed down a favorable decision
regarding the pastoral care of a prisoner. This decision influenced the
Federal Ministry of Justice to make a provision for Jehovah's Witnesses to
visit prisoners who request assistance from us.
Personal Consequences:
To illustrate the impact on people's daily lives, we offer two examples
from Austria. A woman who is one of Jehovah's Witnesses applied for an
apartment in a village. The mayor of that village has a say on such
decisions. At a meeting with the mayor, both parties came to an oral
agreement. Upon departing the mayor asked in passing: "You do not belong
to a sect, do you?" The woman said: "I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses." The
mayor did not say anything, but was visibly shocked. Later the Witness was
told that the apartment had to be given to someone else.
At times, when seeking work, a trial period or preliminary tests are
required for all applicants. The results of such trial periods have often
been very positive for applicants who are Jehovah's Witnesses. Employers
have advised them that they are very pleased with their work. However,
when employers learn afterwards that the applicant is one of Jehovah's
Witnesses, all interest in hiring them is dropped.
