miami-imc
Home About Us Contact Us Radio Print Video Calendar
Translate

Search the Site


All the Newswires
Florida IMCs
About Indymedia

Indymedia Projects
INDYMEDIA NETWORK
printable version - email this article

View article without comments

Prem Rawat "Maharaji" targeted by Hate Group on a IMC website
by J. Singleton Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008 at 1:18 PM

On May 7, 2007, an article appeared on a Independent Media Center web site submitted by an anonymous member of a Hate Group which opposes the work of Prem Rawat, an internationally acclaimed humanitarian and peace advocate. The article is a massive distortion.

Prem Rawat "Mah...
prem-rawat_2007.jpg, image/jpeg, 180x250

Comprised of around 15 core participants, some of whom have committed criminal offenses in support of their cause, the group has tried to have Rawat's supporters fired from their jobs, sent bogus reports to government regulatory bodies, and attempted to have Rawat's events cancelled. In response to death threats by members of the Hate Group, metal detectors are now used at public events featuring Mr Rawat. Members of the group are also suspected of having organized a spam email attack targeting Brisbane based lawyer, Damian Scattini. Typical of the tactics employed by the group, they create a problem via misuse or out-of-context use of material, for example, and then complain when the use of material is restricted.

The latest in a string of guilty verdicts, on October 24 2007 at the Supreme Court in Brisbane Australia, Tom Gubler, a Gold Coast resident member of the Hate Group was convicted on three counts of contempt of court. He appeared later for sentencing and received a suspended jail term.

In 2002, a former member of the group, Neville Ackland, attempted to disrupt one of Rawat's events at Ivory's Rock Conference Center, Ipswich Australia. Soon after, he was arrested for possession of $2.5 million worth of marijuana and unlicensed firearms. Then, on March 1, 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that journalist, John Macgregor, was in violation of the law when he conspired with Tom Gubler to steal proprietary computer files from the computers of a non-profit organization, Elan Vital, and then distributed those files to an internet web site run by the Hate Group. The Court ruled against Macgregor on summary judgment, meaning that the record of Macgregor's unlawful acts was so strong that there was no need for the matter to go to a full trial. Macgregor was also ordered to pay the costs of the action, which were estimated to top $100,000. Gubler was ordered to comply with conditions aimed at curbing his harassment of Elan Vital, an organization which arranges speaking engagements for Mr Rawat.

In April 2005, in an expression of remorse, Macgregor apologized for his actions, and stated, "These people (ex-premie group members) maintain a series of internet web pages and chat rooms a goal of which is to create an atmosphere of ill will and malice towards Rawat and his students. ... The goals of the Ex-Premie group are often obsessive, malicious and destructive in nature. The Ex-Premie group, through the use of the internet interferes with the rights of people to experience their own spiritual discovery and for the purpose of harassing individuals who are students of Rawat's.... The Ex-Premie group's actions have included the contacting of employers of students of Prem Rawat, letters to regulartory agencies and the media with usupported allegations and rabid personal attacks on the character of individuals. Further instances include... The publication of entirely false stories of a defamatory nature on the internet and encouraging media to report these fabrications as fact."

In the latest verdict against Gubler, the court noted that he had entered his former wife's apartment while she was out, and in violation of a previous court order, downloaded files from her computer without her knowledge or consent. Gubler's ex-wife has voluntarily assisted Elan Vital for more than 20 years.

Historically, prominent voices for peace have been targets of violent reactions. Gandhi and Martin Luther King were assassinated. Even Mother Teresa was attacked by a British journalist as a "self-serving egotist" engaged in money laundering. When critics employ unethical and unlawful activities to achieve hateful ends, it suggests a degree of anti-social behavior that goes far beyond acceptable boundaries.

Members of this group have posted thousands of pages of criticism about Prem Rawat on the Internet. They exhibit behavior that psychologists diagnose as obsessive/compulsive disorder. See Time To Log Off: New Diagnostic Criteria For Problematic Internet Use, Dawn Heron, MD, University of Florida, Gainesville, published in Current Psychology, April 2003, (identifying incessant posting in chat rooms as emotional disorder).

Prem Rawat, an Indian bourn teacher, emigrated to the United States as a teenager in the early 1970s and has for many years traveled the world speaking about inner peace. He is also known by the Indian title, Maharaji. He teaches, free of charge, practical methods by which any sincere person can discover peace and fulfillment within themselves. U.S. academic, J. Gordon Melton, has described the evolution of Rawat's teaching. In 1982 he abandoned the trappings of Indian culture and dissolved his own support base. He then established a new organization and began moving it into mainstream society. He has received numerous awards and international recognition for his humanitarian efforts and inspirational TV broadcasts. Detailed information is available in new biography "Peace is Possible" by Andrea Cagan available at Amazon.

A video and on-line comments are available at
http://www.whatpeoplesay.org/

Details of his humanitarian efforts are available at
http://www.tprf.org

See also
http://www.wordpaint.com/index.htm


add your comments


Comment
by Allan Richter Wednesday, Feb. 06, 2008 at 10:14 AM

I have have enjoyed many of Mr Rawat's broadcasts including one from Miami Dade College. Recently I have also been watching his wonderfully insightful discussions with journalist Burt Wolf on youtube. Unfortunately I have also found what appeared to be a forum operated by the hate group featured in this article and a web site featuring obviously malicious writing and digitally altered photographs. That tells me that they are not merely content to fabricate nonsense in print, but they go as far as to create fake images attempting to add validity to the fiction they write. In a world going down the drain there are so many issues that these people could embrace and in doing so perhaps help turn the situation around. It beats me why anyone would invest their time in a smear campaign against someone who has devoted his life to improving the human condition. Digitally altered photos, targeting Mr Rawat's supporters, sending false reports to government agencies, criminal activities; someone should tell these idiots to get a life and do something constructive with it.


add your comments



by Monday, Jul. 14, 2008 at 1:28 PM


add your comments



by Monday, Jul. 14, 2008 at 1:33 PM


add your comments


Gerry Lyng
by Rocky Thursday, Jul. 31, 2008 at 2:11 AM

"Gerry" is none other than Gerry Lyng, a fanatical member of the Hate Group mentioned in this article. The content of his posts gives him away. For more information about this group, their tactics and propaganda please visit http://www.one-reality.net


add your comments


A Hate Grouper shows his face.
by J Singleton Thursday, Jul. 31, 2008 at 8:45 AM

The person calling himself "Gerry" is none other than Gerry Lyng, a fanatical member of the group described in this article. Its easy to tell by the maniacal tone of his posts.
For more information about these lunatics, please visit
http://www.one-reality.net/


add your comments


Miami IMC Newswires
Upcoming Events
No events have been posted for this week.
All Recent Articles
Article Photo Video Audio
M17 7:39PM
El sueño americano (video)
M17 5:30PM
Congress has VIOLATED the First Amendment of the US Constitution and Establi$hed Religion!
M17 12:17PM
U.S. Election 2012: Alexander says Republicans Can’t Win against Obama
M17 9:44AM
Developing a New Economic System
M16 1:37PM
Video: Joshua Holland "The 15 Biggest Lies About the Economy"
M16 8:08AM
Israel ataca a un buque con ayuda a Gaza en aguas internacionales
M16 5:54AM
Solidaridad con Cuba desde Miami
M15 9:33AM
BTL:Although National Media Spotlight is Gone, Progressive Mobilization Against Wis. Gov.
M15 7:46AM
La Historia Sionista (video)
M14 8:14PM
U.S. House of Representatives: Stupid? Crooks? or Stupid Crooks?
M14 4:38PM
LIMPIEZA ETNICA DE LOS PALESTINOS
M14 1:33PM
BTL:For Fatah, New Unity Pact with Hamas is Risky, but Few Options Remained
M13 2:08PM
Thomas Paine and Noam Chomsky
M13 8:08AM
BTL:Claims that U.S. Torture Played Key Role in Locating Osama bin Laden are Unsupportable
M11 12:46PM
Osama bin Laden killed by US Forces/No Justice without a trial
M10 6:29PM
Amtrak Officials Back Schumer's Proposal For No Ride List (1) Comments
M10 6:23PM
Obama is accomplice to GW Bush regime's war crimes
M09 8:09PM
EL GOLPE DE ESTADO DE LOS BANCOS (Video)
M09 5:49PM
Chuck Schumer (D) Calls for Train Station Gestapo Zones
M09 7:31AM
BTL:Nuclear Adviser Resigns over Japanese Government's Increasing Level of Allowable Radia
M08 6:53PM
~ WHEN 666 BECAME KARL ROVES CALLING CARD INTO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT ~ (1) Comments
M08 11:07AM
VIDEO: Las guerras que Ud no ve
M08 9:26AM
BTL:NOW: GOP Assault on Middle Class is a 'War on Women'
M08 8:47AM
Wage revolutionary struggle to put an end to the spiral of terrorist violence
M07 5:31PM
El Parlamento Europeo recibira a la Flotilla Rumbo a Gaza
M07 1:55PM
U.S. Election 2012- Stewart Alexander Says Obama Could Lose in 2012
M07 8:58AM
BTL:How Will Bin Laden's Death Affect the U.S. War in Afghanistan?
M06 5:12AM
La censura a Hortensia Morán y el código de ética de Fernando Lugo
M06 1:05AM
Thousands of militant workers march for higher pay in the Philippines
M05 7:11PM
La segunda muerte de Bin Laden?
M04 11:24PM
Join the International Solidarity Mvement
M04 5:35PM
Iranian Muslim Divorce in USA
M04 9:57AM
Gaza demonstrators condemn death of bin Laden
M04 9:42AM
AMERICAN EXPRESS BEATS BACK ISRAEL BOYCOTTERS
M03 9:49PM
Hortensia Morán lanzará su libro sobre Fernando Lugo en Fernando de la Mora
M03 5:45PM
Mountain Justice Training Camp May 20-27 Letcher County, Kentucky www.mountainjustice.org
M02 9:07PM
Cuba: No están sol@s
M01 2:57PM
U.S. PR Firm on Payroll of Qatari Group that Took Part in Gaza Flotilla
M01 2:44PM
Divestment defeated at UC San Diego
M01 9:39AM
BTL:Economic and Political Power of Oil Industry Succeeds in Weakening Deep Water Drilling
Older Newswire Posts
View Hidden Posts


© 2003-2009 Miami Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Miami Independent Media Center. Running sf-active v0.9.2 Disclaimer | Privacy