30 ICSA TODAY
The cult origins of Bikram Yoga: Rape, harassment and lies
“Bikram Choudhury became a self-made multimillionaire with
‘Bikram Yoga,’ which was founded on 26 carefully sequenced
positions and performed in sweltering studios. Bikram claimed
that, though he had learned his ‘hot yoga’ craft under the
tutelage of India’s Bishnu Charan Ghosh, his methods were
uniquely his own, and that they’d helped him become a three-
time national yoga champion in his native country. He said he’d
subsequently brought his program to America on July 4, 1972,
when a Honolulu session with President Richard Nixon earned
him a green card. From there, he fashioned an empire that
boasted numerous celebrities as clients, and earned Bikram—
famous for instructing students while wearing nothing but a
tiny black Speedo—national renown and wealth, replete with
a fleet of luxury Bentleys and Rolls Royces. It also netted him
an army of acolytes who’d follow his every command—and, it
turns out, would even tolerate the sexual assault and rape he
perpetrated against them. Until, that is, they wouldn’t.” (Daily
Beast, 11/18/19)
Suspect in Jersey City linked to the Black Hebrew Israelite
group
“An assailant involved in the prolonged firefight in Jersey City,
N.J., that left six people dead, including one police officer,
was linked on Wednesday to the Black Hebrew Israelite
movement, and had published anti-Semitic posts online, a law
enforcement official said. The violent rampage on Tuesday took
place largely at a kosher supermarket where three bystanders
were killed. The authorities now believe that the store was
specifically targeted by the assailants, whom they identified
as David N. Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50. Mr.
Anderson appeared to have a connection to the Black Hebrew
Israelite movement, though the extent of his involvement in
that group remains unclear, the law enforcement official said.”
(The New York Times, 12/11/19)
Pennsylvania opens grand jury investigation into Jehovah’s
Witnesses’ cover-up of child sex abuse
“For decades, leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion have
kept allegations of child sexual abuse in their congregations
secret from police as a matter of policy. They have maintained
an internal database containing the names of alleged abusers
in their U.S. congregations, but repeatedly have violated court
orders to hand it over. Still, they have avoided reckoning with
law enforcement agencies—until now. The Pennsylvania
attorney general’s office has opened a grand jury investigation
into how Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders handle allegations of
child sexual abuse, according to three people who have been
called to testify in closed-door hearings.
Mark O’Donnell, a former Jehovah’s Witness, told Reveal
from The Center for Investigative Reporting that Pennsylvania
investigators visited his home in Baltimore in June and
interviewed him for three hours. O’Donnell, 52, was a Jehovah’s
Witness for 30 years. He left in 2014 after learning about
child abuse cases, locally and elsewhere, that were covered
up by the organization. Since then, he has become a vocal
critic of the Watchtower, the religion’s parent organization,
traveling around the country to observe civil court cases
against the organization and publishing stories online.
As a result, O’Donnell has become a popular recipient of
leaked information from inside the Watchtower and local
congregations, much of it pertaining to child abuse.” (Reveal
News, 02/10/20)
UK statement on the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the
Russian Federation
“The United Kingdom remains concerned about the situation
of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian Federation. The ruling
of the Russian Supreme Court in July 2017, which rejected the
appeal against the decision to categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses
as ‘extremists,’ criminalised the peaceful worship of 175,000
Russian citizens and contravened the right to religious freedom
that is enshrined in the Russian Constitution, and in multiple
OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe]
commitments. Since that ruling, we have witnessed an
increasing number of detentions, criminal investigations and
prosecutions of Jehovah’s Witnesses across Russia. We echo the
deep concern over the allegations of torture and mistreatment
of Jehovah’s Witnesses. On 6 February this year in Orenburg
[Russia], five Jehovah’s Witnesses were transferred to Penal
Colony #1 and, on arrival, were all beaten by guards. One of
them, Feliks Makhmmadiev, was hospitalised as a result.
On 10 February, there were reports that another Jehovah’s
Witness, Vadim Kutsenko, was tortured in a forest near
Chita. Participating States have affirmed their commitment to
eradicating torture and we reiterate our condemnation of all
forms of torture as one of the most flagrant violations of human
rights and human dignity. We urge the Russian authorities to
ensure thorough investigations into these allegations.” (Gov.UK,
02/12/20)
Brazil spiritual healer sentenced to 19 years for four rapes
“A spiritual healer in Brazil known as João de Deus, or John of
God, received his first prison sentence on Thursday following
a deluge of sex abuse allegations since late last year. A judge
in Goias state issued a sentence of 19 years and four months
for four rapes of different women, according to a statement
from the court. Lawyers for the 77-year-old João de Deus said
in a statement that they will appeal the decision. João Teixeira
de Faria drew people from all over the world to his small city
two hours west of [the] capital, Brasilia, with promises he could
treat everything from depression to cancer and attended to
as many as 10,000 patients per week. Hundreds of women,
including his daughter, alleged he regularly engaged in abuse
ranging from groping to rape. Even Oprah Winfrey visited João
de Deus in 2012 to interview him for her talk show and called
him ‘inspiring.’ After the accusations surfaced, Winfrey issued a
statement saying she sympathized with the alleged victims and
hoped they receive justice. João de Deus is facing additional
The cult origins of Bikram Yoga: Rape, harassment and lies
“Bikram Choudhury became a self-made multimillionaire with
‘Bikram Yoga,’ which was founded on 26 carefully sequenced
positions and performed in sweltering studios. Bikram claimed
that, though he had learned his ‘hot yoga’ craft under the
tutelage of India’s Bishnu Charan Ghosh, his methods were
uniquely his own, and that they’d helped him become a three-
time national yoga champion in his native country. He said he’d
subsequently brought his program to America on July 4, 1972,
when a Honolulu session with President Richard Nixon earned
him a green card. From there, he fashioned an empire that
boasted numerous celebrities as clients, and earned Bikram—
famous for instructing students while wearing nothing but a
tiny black Speedo—national renown and wealth, replete with
a fleet of luxury Bentleys and Rolls Royces. It also netted him
an army of acolytes who’d follow his every command—and, it
turns out, would even tolerate the sexual assault and rape he
perpetrated against them. Until, that is, they wouldn’t.” (Daily
Beast, 11/18/19)
Suspect in Jersey City linked to the Black Hebrew Israelite
group
“An assailant involved in the prolonged firefight in Jersey City,
N.J., that left six people dead, including one police officer,
was linked on Wednesday to the Black Hebrew Israelite
movement, and had published anti-Semitic posts online, a law
enforcement official said. The violent rampage on Tuesday took
place largely at a kosher supermarket where three bystanders
were killed. The authorities now believe that the store was
specifically targeted by the assailants, whom they identified
as David N. Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50. Mr.
Anderson appeared to have a connection to the Black Hebrew
Israelite movement, though the extent of his involvement in
that group remains unclear, the law enforcement official said.”
(The New York Times, 12/11/19)
Pennsylvania opens grand jury investigation into Jehovah’s
Witnesses’ cover-up of child sex abuse
“For decades, leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion have
kept allegations of child sexual abuse in their congregations
secret from police as a matter of policy. They have maintained
an internal database containing the names of alleged abusers
in their U.S. congregations, but repeatedly have violated court
orders to hand it over. Still, they have avoided reckoning with
law enforcement agencies—until now. The Pennsylvania
attorney general’s office has opened a grand jury investigation
into how Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders handle allegations of
child sexual abuse, according to three people who have been
called to testify in closed-door hearings.
Mark O’Donnell, a former Jehovah’s Witness, told Reveal
from The Center for Investigative Reporting that Pennsylvania
investigators visited his home in Baltimore in June and
interviewed him for three hours. O’Donnell, 52, was a Jehovah’s
Witness for 30 years. He left in 2014 after learning about
child abuse cases, locally and elsewhere, that were covered
up by the organization. Since then, he has become a vocal
critic of the Watchtower, the religion’s parent organization,
traveling around the country to observe civil court cases
against the organization and publishing stories online.
As a result, O’Donnell has become a popular recipient of
leaked information from inside the Watchtower and local
congregations, much of it pertaining to child abuse.” (Reveal
News, 02/10/20)
UK statement on the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the
Russian Federation
“The United Kingdom remains concerned about the situation
of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian Federation. The ruling
of the Russian Supreme Court in July 2017, which rejected the
appeal against the decision to categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses
as ‘extremists,’ criminalised the peaceful worship of 175,000
Russian citizens and contravened the right to religious freedom
that is enshrined in the Russian Constitution, and in multiple
OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe]
commitments. Since that ruling, we have witnessed an
increasing number of detentions, criminal investigations and
prosecutions of Jehovah’s Witnesses across Russia. We echo the
deep concern over the allegations of torture and mistreatment
of Jehovah’s Witnesses. On 6 February this year in Orenburg
[Russia], five Jehovah’s Witnesses were transferred to Penal
Colony #1 and, on arrival, were all beaten by guards. One of
them, Feliks Makhmmadiev, was hospitalised as a result.
On 10 February, there were reports that another Jehovah’s
Witness, Vadim Kutsenko, was tortured in a forest near
Chita. Participating States have affirmed their commitment to
eradicating torture and we reiterate our condemnation of all
forms of torture as one of the most flagrant violations of human
rights and human dignity. We urge the Russian authorities to
ensure thorough investigations into these allegations.” (Gov.UK,
02/12/20)
Brazil spiritual healer sentenced to 19 years for four rapes
“A spiritual healer in Brazil known as João de Deus, or John of
God, received his first prison sentence on Thursday following
a deluge of sex abuse allegations since late last year. A judge
in Goias state issued a sentence of 19 years and four months
for four rapes of different women, according to a statement
from the court. Lawyers for the 77-year-old João de Deus said
in a statement that they will appeal the decision. João Teixeira
de Faria drew people from all over the world to his small city
two hours west of [the] capital, Brasilia, with promises he could
treat everything from depression to cancer and attended to
as many as 10,000 patients per week. Hundreds of women,
including his daughter, alleged he regularly engaged in abuse
ranging from groping to rape. Even Oprah Winfrey visited João
de Deus in 2012 to interview him for her talk show and called
him ‘inspiring.’ After the accusations surfaced, Winfrey issued a
statement saying she sympathized with the alleged victims and
hoped they receive justice. João de Deus is facing additional
