42 ICSA TODAY 40
Miss World Canada says China is blocking her from
final event
Actress Anastasia Lin, who was crowned Miss World in May, is
a China-born Canadian who claims that she and her father have
been harassed by the Chinese government for speaking out
about human rights abuses in China. A practitioner of Falun
Gong, Ms. Lin said that she wanted to “speak for those in China
that are beaten, burned and electrocuted for holding to their
beliefs.” (CBC, Thomson Reuters, 11/11/15)
China issues veiled threat to MPs for attendance at
organ-trade forum
China has threatened that its economic cooperation with
Australia and New South Wales could be harmed if New
South Wales MPs show up at the international human-organ-
trade meeting at the Parliament House. China objects to the
participation in the meeting of Falun Gong members. (Sydney
Morning Herald, 08/10/15)
Beijing irked by Thailand’s decision on Falun Gong
The Chinese government has protested to the government
of Thailand because of a Thai decision to register the Falun
Gong Study Association. The Supreme Administrative Court
reversed lower court decisions against the registration of the
Falun Gong organization. (The Nation, 08/07/15)
Church’s “faith healing” killed baby
In Oregon, two members of the Followers of Christ Church,
Dale and Shannon Hickman, were charged with second-
degree manslaughter of their premature newborn son David.
The Hickmans didn’t seek any medical attention for their son.
He died 9 hours after birth from staphylococcus pneumonia.
The Followers of Christ Church believes in faith healing and
not in medical healing. When the Hickmans were put on trial
for David’s death, they told the judge they didn’t regret what
happened and wouldn’t have done anything differently. The
Hickmans will be held in separate state penitentiaries until
January of 2018. Reports since 1998 suggest that more than
31 children from the Followers of Christ Church died from
curable medical issues. The most recent case raises again the
question of religious exemptions regarding child neglect such
exemptions vary among the states. (The Daily Beast, 10/14/15)
Mother’s horror after Internet cult brainwashed her
teenage son
Barbara Weed’s teenage son Tom Bell cut off all contact with
family 6 years ago, following his involvement with an online
organization called Freedomain Radio, which is run by a
Canadian man named Stefan Molyneaux. Tom had been
watching podcasts and participating in chats that convinced
him he was the victim of abuse. Barbara says Stefan Molyneaux
and his online cult have taught her son to hate her. (Daily Mail,
08/20/15)
Hasidic village makes parents choose: smartphone or
children’s education
The Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel in New York has issued
technology restrictions to its members. “The notice went on to
list several digital commandments: Men may use a smartphone
if deemed essential to business and, in that case, only with
an approved filter women may not use a smartphone, only a
basic cellphone. Home computers may not be connected to the
Internet. All members of the community must have a stamp of
approval from religious leaders on their devices, even ‘kosher
cellphones’ that have been inspected by rabbis and whose
Web browsers have been deactivated.” There are approximately
22,000 people in the village. Kiryas Joel was established in the
1970s by members of the Haredi Orthodox Satmar Hasidic
community, whose members have faced numerous legal
battles over the years. (Forward [Jewish Telegraphic Agency],
08/13/15)
Influential Christian sect ends protests in Philippines
In Manila in the Philippines, thousands of members of Iglesia
Ni Cristo, a politically influential Christian sect, ended a protest
after talks with government officials. The protest began after
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima took steps to investigate a
criminal complaint of illegal detention an expelled Iglesia
minister filed against sect officials. The large gatherings
worsened traffic jams in a bustling district of shopping malls,
offices, and residential high-rises. Commuters vented their ire
on social media, prompting a protest spokesman to apologize.
The 101-year-old religious group has political power because
its members vote as a block in national elections. (Yahoo News,
08/31/15)
Pedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of
authority in Jehovah’s Witnesses church, Royal
Commission told
In a Jehovah’s Witnesses church, men who have been accused
of sexual abuse have been promoted to high-authority
positions in the church despite what they have been accused
of doing. Church Elder Max Horley told the Royal Commission
that it was mandatory to get rid of all the notes that were taken
during meetings between him and elder Bill Neill. When asked
by Justice Peter McClellan why he destroyed the notes, Horley
replied, “Well, I guess it’s because we don’t want them to fall
into the wrong hands and other people to find them and then
go through them. We don’t want our wives knowing our stuff,
what sort of things we are dealing with. We don’t want other
people in the congregation coming across that information.”
(The Daily Telegraph, 07/27/15)
Miss World Canada says China is blocking her from
final event
Actress Anastasia Lin, who was crowned Miss World in May, is
a China-born Canadian who claims that she and her father have
been harassed by the Chinese government for speaking out
about human rights abuses in China. A practitioner of Falun
Gong, Ms. Lin said that she wanted to “speak for those in China
that are beaten, burned and electrocuted for holding to their
beliefs.” (CBC, Thomson Reuters, 11/11/15)
China issues veiled threat to MPs for attendance at
organ-trade forum
China has threatened that its economic cooperation with
Australia and New South Wales could be harmed if New
South Wales MPs show up at the international human-organ-
trade meeting at the Parliament House. China objects to the
participation in the meeting of Falun Gong members. (Sydney
Morning Herald, 08/10/15)
Beijing irked by Thailand’s decision on Falun Gong
The Chinese government has protested to the government
of Thailand because of a Thai decision to register the Falun
Gong Study Association. The Supreme Administrative Court
reversed lower court decisions against the registration of the
Falun Gong organization. (The Nation, 08/07/15)
Church’s “faith healing” killed baby
In Oregon, two members of the Followers of Christ Church,
Dale and Shannon Hickman, were charged with second-
degree manslaughter of their premature newborn son David.
The Hickmans didn’t seek any medical attention for their son.
He died 9 hours after birth from staphylococcus pneumonia.
The Followers of Christ Church believes in faith healing and
not in medical healing. When the Hickmans were put on trial
for David’s death, they told the judge they didn’t regret what
happened and wouldn’t have done anything differently. The
Hickmans will be held in separate state penitentiaries until
January of 2018. Reports since 1998 suggest that more than
31 children from the Followers of Christ Church died from
curable medical issues. The most recent case raises again the
question of religious exemptions regarding child neglect such
exemptions vary among the states. (The Daily Beast, 10/14/15)
Mother’s horror after Internet cult brainwashed her
teenage son
Barbara Weed’s teenage son Tom Bell cut off all contact with
family 6 years ago, following his involvement with an online
organization called Freedomain Radio, which is run by a
Canadian man named Stefan Molyneaux. Tom had been
watching podcasts and participating in chats that convinced
him he was the victim of abuse. Barbara says Stefan Molyneaux
and his online cult have taught her son to hate her. (Daily Mail,
08/20/15)
Hasidic village makes parents choose: smartphone or
children’s education
The Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel in New York has issued
technology restrictions to its members. “The notice went on to
list several digital commandments: Men may use a smartphone
if deemed essential to business and, in that case, only with
an approved filter women may not use a smartphone, only a
basic cellphone. Home computers may not be connected to the
Internet. All members of the community must have a stamp of
approval from religious leaders on their devices, even ‘kosher
cellphones’ that have been inspected by rabbis and whose
Web browsers have been deactivated.” There are approximately
22,000 people in the village. Kiryas Joel was established in the
1970s by members of the Haredi Orthodox Satmar Hasidic
community, whose members have faced numerous legal
battles over the years. (Forward [Jewish Telegraphic Agency],
08/13/15)
Influential Christian sect ends protests in Philippines
In Manila in the Philippines, thousands of members of Iglesia
Ni Cristo, a politically influential Christian sect, ended a protest
after talks with government officials. The protest began after
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima took steps to investigate a
criminal complaint of illegal detention an expelled Iglesia
minister filed against sect officials. The large gatherings
worsened traffic jams in a bustling district of shopping malls,
offices, and residential high-rises. Commuters vented their ire
on social media, prompting a protest spokesman to apologize.
The 101-year-old religious group has political power because
its members vote as a block in national elections. (Yahoo News,
08/31/15)
Pedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of
authority in Jehovah’s Witnesses church, Royal
Commission told
In a Jehovah’s Witnesses church, men who have been accused
of sexual abuse have been promoted to high-authority
positions in the church despite what they have been accused
of doing. Church Elder Max Horley told the Royal Commission
that it was mandatory to get rid of all the notes that were taken
during meetings between him and elder Bill Neill. When asked
by Justice Peter McClellan why he destroyed the notes, Horley
replied, “Well, I guess it’s because we don’t want them to fall
into the wrong hands and other people to find them and then
go through them. We don’t want our wives knowing our stuff,
what sort of things we are dealing with. We don’t want other
people in the congregation coming across that information.”
(The Daily Telegraph, 07/27/15)
