RATIONALIST INTERNATIONAL
Bulletin # 42
24 June 2000
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Editor: Sanal Edamaruku
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IN THIS ISSUE

ISKCON STUDENTS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST GURUS FOR RAPE, TORTURE
AND ABUSE OF CHILDREN
EGYPTIAN AUTHOR SALAHEDDIN FACES TRIAL FOR ATHEIST WRITINGS
NEW HONORARY ASSOCIATES OF RATIONALIST INTERNATIONAL
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ISKCON STUDENTS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST GURUS FOR RAPE, TORTURE AND ABUSE OF CHILDREN

Forty-four former students of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), a leading Hindu religious organisation, have filed a $400-million lawsuit on June 13 in a federal court in Dallas, USA, accusing senior gurus of sexual, physical and emotional torture of minor boys and girls ranging in age from three to 18 years. Some examples of the types of alleged abuse to which the children were subjected to include: Sexual abuse, including rape, oral sex and intercourse with children, sexual fondling of children, masturbation with children, physical beatings of children with boards, branches, clubs, and poles, beating with fists to the head and stomach and kicking the children into submission. It is believed that the facts as they are presented will reveal more than 1000 child victims, many of whom have already taken their own lives or are today emotionally and socially dysfunctional. Iskcon has been listed as the lead defendant, while 17 members of its governing body commission have also been named as defendants.

"Even though the children were given by their parents to Iskcon to educate them, except for the reading of their Vedic scriptures, the children received little or no education, " the lawsuit says. "Far from promised transcendental, spiritual and secular education purported to be disseminated at the gurukuls (traditional schools), in fact Iskcon's gurukuls quickly became havens for widespread physical, emotional, mental and sexual child abuse."

The first gurukul established by Iskcon commenced operation in 1972 and was located in Dallas. By 1978, there were a total of 11 gurukuls in North America. To avoid policing and scrutiny by US child protection agencies, the suit says, Iskcon took a large portion of its boarding school activities overseas to India. "In India, Iskcon managed at least two profoundly abusive boarding schools for boys. These were in Vrindavan and Mayapur. The Indian schools were among the worst offenders and abusers of minor boys, and many of the Indian school teachers and leaders were also teachers, leaders and abusers in United States schools," it adds.

The lawsuit accuses Iskcon and its leaders of having "enriched themselves" by granting special favours to large fundraisers and donors, even if some large donors were drug dealers and other criminal elements. The alleged "special favours" include, among others: granting teaching positions to sexual predators so they would have access to children for their sexual gratification; giving young girls from the gurukuls as brides to older donor men; creating "asylum" and a ring of protection against apprehension of fugitives, including those dealing illegally in arms, drugs and murder, within the Iskcon enterprise.

Despite having been alerted to the physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse of children in its gurukuls and other schools as early as in 1 70s, the lawsuit alleges, Iskcon and the other defendants "conspired to suppress any public disclosure to gurukul children's parents, of the pattern and practice of rampant abuse at its gurukuls." The plaintiffs have sought a temporary injunction prohibiting the defendants from engaging in any further sexual, emotional or physical abuse of the minor children of Iskcon followers currently enrolled in or residing at the gurukuls, schools, and childcare facilities.

EGYPTIAN AUTHOR SALAHEDDIN FACES TRIAL FOR ATHEIST WRITINGS

Prosecutors in Cairo have put Salaheddin Mohsen, Egyptian writer in detention since April, on trial after he admitted under questioning this year that he did not believe in Islam and sought to promote secular thought in four recent books. Prosecuting lawyer Ashraf al-Ashmawi told the court that Salaheddin "is sick in the heart and an example of atheism."

Salaheddin facing trial for atheism and blasphemy against Islam is building his defence in the right to free speech. "I have an opinion and I expressed my opinion in these books", Salaheddin said in the court.

In Egypt, Islam is the official religion and ninety per cent of all Egyptians are Sunni Muslims. Judicial authority in Egypt is vested in an independent judicial system, which is based on Shari'ah and English and French laws.

NEW HONORARY ASSOCIATES OF RATIONALIST INTERNATIONAL

Since the last issue of the Rationalist International Bulletin, five more world-renowned rationalists have joined Rationalist International as Honorary Associates. They are (alphabetically) Prof. Richard Dawkins (UK), Taslima Nasreen (Bangladesh), Steinar Nilsen (Norway), James Randi (USA) and Prof. Rob Tielman (Netherlands). The Honorary Associates who joined earlier are: Katsuaki Asai (Japan), Prof. Colin Blakemore (UK), Prof. Vern Bullough (USA), Dr Bill Cooke (New Zealand), Joseph Edamaruku (India), Jim Herrick (UK), Christopher Hitchens (USA), Prof. Paul Kurtz (USA), Prof. Jean-Claude Pecker (France), Dr Jyoti Shankar (meanwhile deceased) (USA), Prof. Harry Stopes-Roe (UK), Jane Wynne Willson (UK) and Prof. Lewis Wolpert (UK).