ICSA - instigating religious hatred behind an "academic" facade.

The American anti-religious hate-group ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) is working hard to get some acceptance in society by trying to establish an academic image. This is clearly shown in the upcoming anti-religious conference arranged by ICSA in Brussels 29 June to 1 July where ICSA has collected over 90 speakers from different countries, some with a more soft academic background, but all these academics cant hide the harder basic core of ICSA speakers with a background in deprogramming and other highly discriminatory practices against religious groups.

Reviewing the subjects taken up at the conference, one can see that "brainwashing" is one of the popular subjects. While there is no scientific definition for this word, ICSA knows it is a popular term for tabloid press, and it therefore fits well in with the anti-religous agenda that ICSA is promoting. This is an intentional strategy used by speakers related to ICSA. To be able to understand why this is so, lets dig further into the background of "ICSA".

A first important point to make clear, is that ICSA actually is the same group as the notorious AFF (American Family Foundation). Few years ago (end of 2004) it was announced that AFF would change name to ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association). This was an understandable move as the name "AFF" had been exposed quite thoroughly and its doubtful background was wellknown. With a new name, "ICSA", the same team was ready to continue the anti-religious crusade, without having to bother about any earlier unpleasant revelations of what AFF had been engaged in.

So to be able to understand ICSA, one has to know the story of AFF.

AFF was founded in 1979, claimed to be a "educational" and "theoretical" organization in a self declared war against "cults". As part of this fight, AFFs associates known as "deprogrammers" ran one of the largest kidnapping-for-hire operations in American history. In reality, the AFFs business has been mind-control. Three of the leading "experts" that they were using were Robert J. Lifton, Louis Jolyon "Jolly" West and Margaret Singer, they were not only studying mind-control, they practiced coercive conditioning in horrific secret experiments related to the originally confidential intelligence related project "MK-Ultra", but which has now been exposed. Below is a short summary of some points these "experts" are known for:

- Robert J. Lifton, psychiatrist, Lifton has advanced the idea that religious conversion was "thought reform" akin to the methods used against American soldiers that were taken as prisoners during the Korean War. The argument went thus: Those who adopt the faiths of certain religions are "brainwashed" and not responsible for their own actions. There has of course never been any scientific proof to support Lifton's incredible hypothesis.

- Louis Jolyon "Jolly" West, psychiatrist, advisor to AFF, part of MK Ultra LSD experiments and mind-control program. West wrote that that the government should supply drugs to control the population.

- Margaret Singer - psychologist, advisor of AFF. Was among other things known for interviewing drug-crazed hippies about their LSD-induced "religious" experiences.

To use these people as experts, shows clearly in what direction AFF/ICSA is working in their "enlightening" work.

AFF/ICSA has also been active to promote anti-religious campaigns in Europeand it is in that context the now upcoming conference in Brussels should be seen.

An early European cooperator with AFF was the leading German anti-sect activist Friedrich Haack, representative for the German Lutheran church and wellknown for his continuous attacks on religious minorities. Haack published some of his works via Kurt Hirsch, the editor or PDI (Democratic Press Initiative). After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Kurt Hirsch was exposed as an operative of the hated and feared East Germany intelligence agency "Stasi". As also Haack passed away in the same time period as the Berlin wall fell, it was never clarified what intelligence agency was orchestrating his campaigns.

If one reviews the list of speakers for the now upcoming ICSA conference, there are many names who has a track of cooperation with AFF. For example the spanish psychiatrist Josep M. Jansa who during the conference in Brussels will talk about "cults" was already in the 80-ies under training by AFF. Jansa is working for the Spanish anti-sect group AIS (AIS is a member-group of ICSAs European brother-organisation FECRIS)

We dont know all specifics on what Jansa learned from AFF, but what we know is that Jansa was criticized in a court-decision in Spain after having participated in a deprogramming attempt of Mr. Santiago Canals Coma, a member of a Catholic group.

The judge’s made different statements relating to what AIS and Mr Jansa had been doing and among other things said: “… what is not admissible … is that on the pretext of a clearly nonexistent mental disorder, a citizen of legal age has been deprived of liberty, solely because of his religious beliefs, and a legal justification has been attempted for this…"

This definitely constitutes an abuse of law, something which does not seem to bother Mr Jansa and his ICSA-colleagues too much. When he and his anti-cult friends now will speak up on "cults" in Brussels end of June, he will most certainly sound very academic with his theories, but take another look and you will see the clearcut anti-religious agenda behind his and the other speakers academic jargon.