Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 3, Nos. 2 &3, 2004, Page 106
New Summaries
3HO/Yogi Bhajan
Death of the Guru
Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, founder of 3HO (Happy, Holy, Healthy), has died in New
Mexico at the age of 75. The movement, combining yoga, meditation, and yogic philosophy,
grew in the 1970s among the soon-to-be-called ―baby boomers‖ as an alternative to the
drug culture. He had been asked to create a Sikh ministry in the West by the Sikh seat of
religious authority in Amritsar, India. (Hindustan Times, Internet, 10/7/04)
Alusi Okija
Cult Victims’ Bodies Discovered
Police in eastern Nigeria have discovered body parts, skulls, and more than 50 corpses,
some mummified, of possible victims of rituals carried out by Alusi Okija, an ancient secret
society of the Ibo people. Authorities speculate that the dead — businessmen, civil servants,
and others — died of poisoning in a ritual calculated to settle disputes. The guilty die and
the innocent survive the poison.
The police commissioner says the ritual developed to deter crime but has become a way for
the officiating priests and their ―collaborators‖ to kill and defraud the priests take the
property and money of the deceased. (Daniel Balint-Kurti, AS, Internet, 8/5/04)
Aum Shinrikyo
Asahara Refuses to See Lawyer
Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara is refusing to see Takeshi Matsui, the lawyer the
guru‘s daughters have hired to handle his death sentence appeal. The appeal trial was set to
begin ―as early as next year,‖ but it now may be delayed. During the trial that ended in his
conviction, Asahara often refused to speak with his court-appointed lawyers, and he has not
personally indicated a wish to appeal. (Kyodo News Service, Internet, 5/19/04)
Barred from Philippines
Two Japanese suspected of being high ranking Aum Shinrikyo members have been barred
from entry into the Philippines because they are considered ―threats to our peace and
security,‖ said an immigration commissioner. (APF in Philippine Sun Star, Internet, 4/19/04)
Court Orders School to Admit Asahara’s Daughter
A Tokyo court has ordered Bunkyo University to admit a daughter of Aum guru Shoko
Asahara, rejecting the school‘s contention that her presence would be disruptive. Bunkyo
originally admitted her and then rejected her after learning who she was. (AP in Charleston
Gazette, 5/1/04)
Life Sentence Changed to Death on Appeal
The Tokyo High Court has sentenced former Aum Shinrikyo ―intelligence minister‖
Yoshihiro Inoue to death, reversing a lower court‘s life sentence because it found that,
―Although he has cooperated in clarifying the facts and has shown deep atonement, his
criminal responsibility in the subway attacks and its terrible results is equivalent to that of
those who actually released sarin gas.‖
The lower court had ruled that Inoue played only a supporting and liaison role, but Judge
Yamada said the gas release was Inoue‘s idea and that he procured the vehicle used in the
attack. The lower court acknowledged that Inoue was the on-the-spot gas attack
commander. (Yomiuri Shimbun, Internet, 5/29/04)
New Summaries
3HO/Yogi Bhajan
Death of the Guru
Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, founder of 3HO (Happy, Holy, Healthy), has died in New
Mexico at the age of 75. The movement, combining yoga, meditation, and yogic philosophy,
grew in the 1970s among the soon-to-be-called ―baby boomers‖ as an alternative to the
drug culture. He had been asked to create a Sikh ministry in the West by the Sikh seat of
religious authority in Amritsar, India. (Hindustan Times, Internet, 10/7/04)
Alusi Okija
Cult Victims’ Bodies Discovered
Police in eastern Nigeria have discovered body parts, skulls, and more than 50 corpses,
some mummified, of possible victims of rituals carried out by Alusi Okija, an ancient secret
society of the Ibo people. Authorities speculate that the dead — businessmen, civil servants,
and others — died of poisoning in a ritual calculated to settle disputes. The guilty die and
the innocent survive the poison.
The police commissioner says the ritual developed to deter crime but has become a way for
the officiating priests and their ―collaborators‖ to kill and defraud the priests take the
property and money of the deceased. (Daniel Balint-Kurti, AS, Internet, 8/5/04)
Aum Shinrikyo
Asahara Refuses to See Lawyer
Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara is refusing to see Takeshi Matsui, the lawyer the
guru‘s daughters have hired to handle his death sentence appeal. The appeal trial was set to
begin ―as early as next year,‖ but it now may be delayed. During the trial that ended in his
conviction, Asahara often refused to speak with his court-appointed lawyers, and he has not
personally indicated a wish to appeal. (Kyodo News Service, Internet, 5/19/04)
Barred from Philippines
Two Japanese suspected of being high ranking Aum Shinrikyo members have been barred
from entry into the Philippines because they are considered ―threats to our peace and
security,‖ said an immigration commissioner. (APF in Philippine Sun Star, Internet, 4/19/04)
Court Orders School to Admit Asahara’s Daughter
A Tokyo court has ordered Bunkyo University to admit a daughter of Aum guru Shoko
Asahara, rejecting the school‘s contention that her presence would be disruptive. Bunkyo
originally admitted her and then rejected her after learning who she was. (AP in Charleston
Gazette, 5/1/04)
Life Sentence Changed to Death on Appeal
The Tokyo High Court has sentenced former Aum Shinrikyo ―intelligence minister‖
Yoshihiro Inoue to death, reversing a lower court‘s life sentence because it found that,
―Although he has cooperated in clarifying the facts and has shown deep atonement, his
criminal responsibility in the subway attacks and its terrible results is equivalent to that of
those who actually released sarin gas.‖
The lower court had ruled that Inoue played only a supporting and liaison role, but Judge
Yamada said the gas release was Inoue‘s idea and that he procured the vehicle used in the
attack. The lower court acknowledged that Inoue was the on-the-spot gas attack
commander. (Yomiuri Shimbun, Internet, 5/29/04)
