Hi, everybody!
I was a member of the fuquara years ago, when it was only Sidi himself, not Ibrahim, that was running things. I am in a bit of a quandry as to whether or not to pursue an 'dissenter' website, as I have mostly put whatever abuses I experienced behind me, or chalked them up as 'learning experiences'.
Everybody leaving a totalistic religion, cult, or society has regrets, both for leaving and for joining. At some times I yearn for the experience of being taken care of in a certain way, having access to a direct conduit to God, that I experienced in Sidi's group.
On the other hand, I was relieved I didn't any longer have to make excuses for the inappropriate and incredible things I witnessed there, the foremost of which was a fascination with 'spiritual' marriages which linked 'beloveds' of totally different ages, temperments, and socio-economic backgrounds.
It is not for me to try and understand Sidi's psychology. Perhaps there is more wisdom than darkness there. I would not go so far as to accuse him of being a fraud. I would say that he was put in the position of being the mouthpiece of the Eternal God by his followers, at least, and in my observation, he did nothing to disenamour them of this notion.
Today, he seems happily linked to one of the most ridiculously vapid New Age Alternative Healing peddlars of expensive hokum you might ever wish NOT to find. That person now purports to be able to cure cancer and AIDS. I am NOT kidding here!
Sadly, that person's wife died of cancer and he wasn't able to heal HER!
I never had experiences with that person, if you did, please leave them here! I fail to understand the attraction to him, though I can to Sidi.
Whether you believe in God, Islam, Sufism, or nothing, I think everyone should be allowed to ask questions. Life can be brutal, maybe life IS brutal. You get a taste of that and you want comfort. Someone shows up and says, 'I can help you understand and transcend that'. You're vulnerable and you want to believe. Then the Guide marries you to someone. Now you are REALLY committed. Some, if not all, of the old pain is gone. HURRAY!
So where has Jane gone? Jane is now Jamila. A new being, made by the Guide and with a new
family of brothers and sisters. A holier, better family.
You might as well think of the Guide as God, because he as done what God did, created a new being out of nothing. It's all so easy, right?
A spiritual path and life does NOT depend on your pledging allegiance to a human teacher. In fact, I think one can in effect 'pass' on one's spiritual quest by merely following someone else instead of being ruthlessly honest about one's own drawbacks, addictions, shortcomings, etc.
Well, anyway, you can respond here, start a thread of your own. I don't want to ruin someone's party. But, on the other hand, if you don't have doubts, why are you reading this? Peace!
From the outside, Ibrahim Jaffee looks like such an obvious publicity hound, accumulating titles for himself and inventing meaninnless degree programs and holistic health certifications, all of which seem to be rather pricey!
ReplyDeleteI've been told you have to pay a certain amount of money for a particular kind of fuqara HAT! GEEZ, LOUISE!
The fact that Sidi would let a charlatan like this operate with his sanction probably tells you all you need to know about Sidi himself.
Although who bothers to check the Internet for references on your New Sheik!
I was such a threat to them band they knew it. I saw right through them. They were wary becasue i am smart.H ow depraved the Talmud is and the fat Zionist capitalist pig Jaffee. how twisted they are that they will go to any lengths including faking a religion to make money by committing fraud in the name of religion. Unbelievable!
DeleteAll very good comments and criticism. I'm currently a student of Sidi and Dr. Jaffee and have nothing but great things to say about these sincere men. I'm coming from a place of being a grown adult who can make my own decisions. I'm looking for help and guidence and I'm getting it. I dissagree with those who like to hand over complete controll to someone else. At the school we talk a lot about personal responsibility. Perhaps this was not always the case. I see the cultish behavior, especially in the old timers, and it seems to be coming from the bottom and not from the top of the orginization. However, as noted above, the leader should be held repsonsible for allowing this attitude to grow. Perhaps I will politely ask Sidi about what to make of people who are making an idol out of him.
ReplyDelete"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Plato
All I am going to state here is my federally protected freedom of speech and is my own opinion.
ReplyDeleteI left this group a while ago and this whole group is basically a fraud. A sophisticated scam and a pyramid scheme. They lie about what the "donations" are about and Sidi himself lies about the entire money issue too.
Sidi's second hand man is a man who runs a pyramid scheme for a living and one of the products he sold ended up killing people and got shut down. He activily recrouts new people to his pyramid schemes in the community.
Anyone who endorses con men who run pyramid schemes and someone who uses his MD as a way to get people to pay thousands of dollars for his fake "healings" is not a person to be trusted. I realized Sidi himself is a fraud as there is no other rational explaination for his behavior and of those he put in positions of power.
The healing school is nothing more than an indoctornation system for this cult and also the main revenue source. It is nothing but a scam also.
This group is a cult with abusive behavior. They condone the abuse when it is done by their "teachers" and "leaders" and by Sidi and is covered up like in all religious groups.
If those still in the group doubt this, all the evidence is there to see. Go search for "cults" on google and see how many of the characteristics apply.
This group lies about everything and exploits people who are hurting and desperate. Not any different than 99% of all new age healing and spiritual groups as well as most organized religion.
They condone materialism, while pushing their over priced gift where they guage people and justify it by being for "god"
They are hyprocrites and liars and it is a cult that epxloits people for money and in other ways.
The books that sidi is supposed to write that comes out every year is nothing but a sham. They say the same shit which has no meaning in different ways and not so different. The exact same phrases are repeated over and over and these $40 books are nothing but a revenue machine for the group.
All this stuff is out there in the open to see if people want to see it. Go read about cults and see how many apply to this group.
I am glad I got out before I gave them any real money or got more abuse and damage from them. Most of the members and teachers are deeply wounded people who treat others poorly and abuse other people and justify their behavior through "god"
pyramidschemealert.org
DeleteI wanted to post a more recent update in case anyone is looking to study with Ibrahim Jaffe. Please stay away. I was in the Sufi order from 2000-1. He was known to coerce women into sleeping with Sidi to get deeper into "spiritual" practice. This is plainly spiritual abuse. There was also the misappropriation of funds, coercion to give large amounts of money to receive "healings" and buy ridiculous things like "healing oil" for $100 a bottle. Then there are the coercive marriages that Sidi would say will deepen your spiritual understanding. This is a scam. I am divorced after this experience. I can't believe I fell for it and wasted a year of my life. I think the important thing I learned about being involved with these folks is understanding how to spot Narcissistic personality disorders (Ibrahim is it) and the codependent ppl that follow them. I was raised in an alcoholic family, making me vulnerable to these types of situations. Don't make him your guru, please don't.
DeleteHello All,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this page only to check out this Sidi person because he is holding a national conference here in Florida in just 2 months. If he is a fraud, or you just "suspect" he is a fraud. please do not be afraid to notify the local F.B.I. who are always looking out for Islamic scams and also start a blog or group on the Internet to warn people about this person. I dont know anything about him. I was hoping to find out about sufism as I love when people bond with singing and dancing who are strangers. But please, if you know something, do not keep silent. Do you want that on your conscious? If he is truly a messenger of God, then we cannot get him in trouble can we? God bless all tellers of the truth.
Please report this group to FBI. they have the potential to kill people with false claims of curing cancer, etc. clinical malpractice should not be allowed. Any thorough investigation will unearth all their scams and people who have died from their 'healing clinics' but do not know that the real cause of death was not seeking appropriate medical attention and being encouraged to use spurious treatment instead.
DeleteWhy don't you report?
DeleteI went to someone's commitment ceremony in Texas under this religion. I think it was done by Sidi Jamal - he was really old and didn't seem in good health. Anyway, I tend to pick up on energy and be intuitive and I did not want to be in this room with all of these people. I had a bad feeling and felt anxious. When the couple went to be committed by him I was more uncomfortable because they wanted all of us to sit in a circle around the ceremony. I was about 4 feet from who I think was Sidi. As it went on I got more and more uncomfortable and things started to get weird for me. Sounds and voices faded away and my vision dulled and I saw a slow swirling of black smoke around this guy that was just hovering around. I couldn't figure out what I was seeing but felt the hair on my neck start to stand up and began telling myself to calm down and tried to think positive things about my space and 'protect' it from this energy. I looked over at my boyfriend and he looked terrorized. He was white and just looked scared. I held his hand and when it was over,we ran out of there before his sister could even turn around. We literally ran to the car and got out of there as quick as we could. Later, his sister asked what we thought and we didn't know what to say. Shed just gotten committed by this mystical guy she believes in and wants an honest opinion but we couldn't tell her we thought he was a cult leader or worse, a truly evil being....it was scary and I don't know what the black smoke meant but a couple Indian friends said it was very bad and to see it means to get away from a bad spirit. Like I say, I'm not sure what this was all about but I do get feelings or see colors around people sometimes and this was the most negative thing I'd ever experienced.
ReplyDeleteI was with this cult from the beginning child to adult. I knew his wife very well and was a close friend of the children. I can see why people get wrapped up in this cult at first your lost they tell they can give your life true meaning ect. Plus there is strong energy that comes off jaffe and sidi that is intense and draws you in but remember not nessearyly good. Jaffe is a scammed and mostly just cares about power and mobey. He makes everybody else give there job up and hand over there life savings tells god wants you to give up everything. Meanwhile he drives a brand new BMW sports car role. And nice house. Him and his wife did not get along and were no longer I. Love she wanted to leave back to Germany to her family and made her stY she was very depressed. After she passed away from can er a few months later he married a 20 yearold, got her pregnant and sent his kids off to live with there grandparents because his new wife couldn't get along with them. This man is selfish and shallow. There is so much more maby another day .
ReplyDeleteI was in the first class with Sidi and Jaffe and could see the scam from day one. Sidi was only interested in money and talked about opening the heart, but I didn't see any heart in him. I left and never looked back.
Deletehi
ReplyDeleteThe leaders of this group are masters at energetic manipulation and they know what makes people tick. They take advantage of people who are suffering. They profess to be muslims though many have no interest in knowing or following the sharia/sunna. The leaders do not discourage being idolized by their students, and many seem to feed off it. Many, many followers end up financially broke after paying exhorbinate prices for Sidi's remedies, donations, and 'healings'. Sadly, they are peddling islamic novelties.
ReplyDeleteI have followed Sidi's teachings for 9 years now. Sidi's teachings are only about the love, peace, mercy, and justice for all and my experience is that he only wants to give to people. His teachings have helped me in many ways. Sadly, the people who have written on this site don't understand him, but he has helped many, many people all around the world. Sidi's remedies work and are much less expensive than allopathic medicines. I have found that Ibrahim Jaffe cares deeply for people and he has also helped to heal many people of many different illnesses. I have seen many people's lives greatly improved by following Sidi's teachings. If you are reading this blog and are interested, I suggest you find out for yourself what this is about and not blindly believe what is written on this blog.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised at the previous comments and I was skeptical and suspicious when I first met both of these people over a decade ago.Not because of what I heard but my fear of being taken advantage of or being manipulated by my so called "teachers" or those in authority or know more as I had been in the past and I believed strongly in not idolizing people before God. However, over time I was proved wrong. While Ibrahim Jaffe did have issues in the past and I saw him in more of his ego in the late 90's and early 2000's, he changed so dramatically much over time because of the Sufi teaching given by Sidi al-Jamal, he became a completely different person! I bet if any of the people who commented from 2005 on met him now, they would not recognize him or think he was the same person! Sidi always tell people not to thank him or praise him but thank Allah/God and puts God first. I also saw many others change deeply or heal serious illnesses because of Sufi healing. People can not fake/ pretend to heal from serious emotional problems or serious illness like cancer. And if you do not believe in the power of God to heal anyone, there is nothing anyone can say as proof. However, one person above so wisely suggested, check out these Sidi al Jamal or Ibrahim Jaffe now for yourself and YOU decide. Many young children have a great sense of knowing the good and the bad intuitively. I was shocked when my shy 4 year old who does not even run up to hug his known relatives ( except parents & grandparents) or want to say hello to close relatives at times and especially strangers, ran up to Sidi before I even introduced them and he hugged this complete stranger. My older son at age 8 who never met or heard about Sidi, saw a photo of Sidi on a back of a book I had and he said "Mommy who is this man? He has so much love!!!" Children can recognize truth and goodness and have less past experiences and fears to cover up the truth. God knows if we are telling the truth or we believing illusion or are writing slander. And it is always between us and God.
ReplyDeleteSidi Muhammad al-Jamal, Ibrahim Jaffe, and the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism comments
ReplyDeleteRegarding the previous two commentors, the fact that you are reading and commenting here is an indication you must be having doubts about Sidi al Jamal or Ibrahim Jaffe. Do you always choose your spiritual leaders based on intuition or did you thoroughly research their backgrounds before you made any commitment? Were you aware of adultery allegations? Do not ignore these or other stories you may have heard. A leader having sexual relations with beloveds is never ok, even if you're told it will make you closer to, or be in unity with God, and is an exception from him. Did you ever speak to anyone who is no longer a follower? If not, why? There are many.....who are alive and well.
In order to gain a better perspective, do a search on the BITE model, Singer's Conditions for Thought Reform, or Lifton's Criteria for Thought Reform and see for yourself how they can apply to this group. You should also search cult warning signs and characteristics of cult leaders. Unfortunately, you've been a victim of very sophisticated mind control techniques. I share the opinion as previously stated above, that the "University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism" is part of a cleverly disguised indoctrination system, also including the "Path of Love" and all the other retreats, etc.. Cults routinely use weekend workshops in order to get people into an unfamiliar environment (often remote) where they can control things such as diet, sleep, privacy, etc., and use various trance induction techniques so that they can subtly take control of a person's mind. Love-bombing is also commonly used. A new name, a new identity, and a new belief system is created. Sadly, most of us are unaware of these covert techniques until it is too late and we are already victims. No one under mind control ever knows they're under mind control!!!! Therefore it can happen to ANYONE, no matter how educated they are. Other good, idealistic and well-intentioned people are also unwittingly deceptively recruited and help fuel the indoctrination machine.
Leaders who are almost always very charismatic are central in cults. It is very easy for us to be taken advantage of by people like Sidi and Jaffe who have mastered all the tricks of the trade.
Don't give them another dime and see just how much love, peace, mercy, and justice you receive. You'll most likely discover that the "Love" is conditional---based on your financial contributions. Ask about where the donations to SIDI really go and to see evidence. See if you get a straight answer. Authentic teachers and healthy spiritual groups welcome inquiry and show accountability. They encourage questions and give direct answers. Keep searching and keep questioning. There are many of us out there who have been deeply damaged and victimized. We need to speak up and speak out. Remember, you are not alone.
I agree! in fact my mental health has gotten worse since following this path. This I have personally observed: "A spiritual path and life does NOT depend on your pledging allegiance to a human teacher. In fact, I think one can in effect 'pass' on one's spiritual quest by merely following someone else instead of being ruthlessly honest about one's own drawbacks, addictions, shortcomings, etc".
DeleteI live in Austin and their is an alternative Sufi group here called Love dogs which are a loving group of people asking for no "sacrifices."
Reading some of the comments, I feel that there are some people who are afraid of Islam commenting on here, but for the person saying he was a follower and now is not, I would like to know what is it exactly that took you out of this Sufi Order? The fact that somebody was hallucinating about black smoke shows a lot in regards to the 'evil within' themselves. When you see such manifestations, they are of your own will not that of Sidi, who is a very enlightened individual.
ReplyDeleteI am not a member of this group, but have participated in some of their meetings and gatherings. I've attended one workshop and two lectures offered by Ibrahim Jaffe. The first lecture had a positive effect on me, and brought some light into my heart, while the next two (a lecture with some healing and a day-long workshop) did not. Instead of light, I felt darkness and despair in my heart. It took a while to get rid of this state. As for Sidi, I have never met him. He appears to be charismatic and has a luminous face (in his pictures), but I don't know why I don't get a good feeling by looking at him. From a far relative who used to be a student at USHS, I have heard not very positive things about those at the head of this organization. But as for the followers, I find them very sincere, truthful and spiritual. I enjoy participating in their spiritual circles which enlightens my heart. And the fact that this organization is always trying to make as much money as possible from everything hurts me. I am writing these because I am very much concerned about the negative effects that some shaykhs may have on the minds of those Americans who in search of Truth join enthusiastically these Sufi orders and might end up hating Sufism and Islam as a whole; while they should differentiate between true and false Sufism.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone here is afraid of, or against Islam/Sufism in any way. They are merely attempting to warn other good people about two unethical individuals. I cannot speak for others, but what tainted my view of this particular Sufi order was validating accounts of sex between leaders/followers and knowledge or participation by some of the inner circle over the course of many years.
DeleteIt is not difficult to search the internet to find which Sufi groups are reported to be cultic. It is well worth the time and effort.
I think it is jhilarious that anyone believes this group has anything to do with Islam it is run by Jews who are capitalizing off LYING and pretending to be Muslims. Jaffe is a Zionist Jew and follows the Talmud which desecrates Christians and this entire ruse is a grand charade of ritual while they siphon money form unknowing participants
Deleteit was hurtful and caused cognitive dissonance becasue i was abused as a child but i saw right through him His name is Pat and he lives i am a smart woman so of course he labeled me sheitan. Talk about abuse that stupid faggot knew I saw him for what he is!Minneapolis and has hips and a butt like a woman and is so obviously GAY even though he has an ugly wife as a beard. I was But you have to wake up in life and let me tell you, being called "sheitan" for telling a gay asshole who wanted to control and abuse women a liar This group ois NOT muslim in any way Islam is used to control the women into giving their money and time and obeying the MALE teachers. There aren't any femelae teachers for a reason. They are a Jewish Zionist hateful misogynistic cult practicing under the guise of Sufism buyt really in the most evil way makig fun of both Christainaity and Islam by using Islam as a cover fro their moneygrabbing. It is a sordid sick deal and those posting do have doubts becasuee somewhere in their messed up minds they know that having to disclose in taped converstions their inner most secrets is emotionally abusive narcissistic abuse not respecting any boundaries. Hey Pat if you are still teaching in Minnesota-I have been to more than 55 countries and am a happy fulfilled and healthy woman not that frightened traumatized young woman you called names because I SAW YOU.
An utterly worthless and anti-Semetic screed. Seek help.
DeleteI belonged to the Shadhilyya sect for many years. I took the bayat from Sidi himself.
ReplyDeleteI left because I did not find any peace, help, etc in Sidi's practices and decided to take another path.
Jaffe is a hustler and a liar. Charges ridiculous amounts of money for healings that all turn out to be bullshit.
Sidi tried to marry me to a woman I had nothing in common with. I refused. At our gatherings when Sidi comes to the US, he is constantly asking for money. Not only do you pay for the retreat, but with each teaching, Sidi needs a "sacrifice check". He is more concerned about money than his followers' souls. His expensive books are poorly written and don't explain shit! I left sufism-and islam-for good and have been much healthier and happier!
Watch out for Amina al Jamal too! She's a crafty mouthpiece for Sidi's bullshit.
I was a follower for awhile. Most of the negative comments are true. They know no more about the word of God than the casual person who merely surrenders their life to God on a daily basis. They have huge ego's, extremely self-seeking, and greedy. They'll milk you for everything you've got if you don't watch out. They play God to the fullest instead of surrendering themselves. They even cost me 10,000 in a pyramid scheme that was ultimately busted by the FBI. Sidi had sex with a number of his followers, all in the name of God. I would be very careful about trusting Jaffe. He's a con man.
DeleteAbsolutely. Amina is a whole cempendikum of the crazy...STILL publishing book after book, infinietely re-hashing Sidi's work. Why would anybody need to continuously publish book after book. ALL of them SELF-PUBLSIHED? Is there anyting new or important? Has anyone found anything of use in these books? Well, the one thing it has done is give Ms. Jamal, (who was so loyal to Sidi, she changed her own last name to his. Or perhaps did she feel she was some sort of Spiritual Consort who got to do that, despite nobody else in the fugquara doing so?
DeleteMost people with negative comments did not provide any specifics. I don't trust everything I read on the Internet. There is no way to judge this group or any such group without having personal experience. I attended one of the retreats with this group and found no objectionable behaviors. They seem to be genuine in their spiritual pursuit. Nobody was forcing anything on anybody. I have attended similar Hindu, and Christian gathering. They all feel "unfamiliar". People who are commenting here are searching for something. I suggest reading Rumi. I bet you will find the peace you are looking for. May God bless you all.
ReplyDeleteI am contemplating attending a workshop this weekend. I have often wondered based on the person's actions who introduced this to me if he hasn't been abducted if you will by a cult. On the one hand, I see the heart in his Sufi practice. On te other I see a devout, almost defensive stance against anyone or anything that questions it. I had an instinct to check the web on Jaffe. I am glad I did. I have witnessed cult behavior before; if it's there, I suspect I will recognize it pretty quickly. Stay tuned...
ReplyDeleteDid you attend the workshop? What did you make of the experience? And how is your friend doing now?
DeleteHealing Intensive Workshop or Retreat
DeleteOne former member's description of an introductory weekend illustrates why such an impressive process works:
"On the surface it seems simple enough: come to a weekend workshop, learn about some new ideas, try them out; if you don't like it, leave. But a lot more than that is happening. When a person is isolated, he is not in a good position to discover that he is being deceived. Deception and isolation reinforce each other. It begins with physical or geographical isolation.
Perhaps more importantly, you are isolated from your own mind. How can that happen? If your day starts at seven a.m. and ends at midnight, and is extremely active and filled with group events, it becomes difficult to turn inward and reflect. By the end of the day when your head hits the pillow, you just do not have the energy to stay awake. In the workshops there is virtually no privacy. You are intensely pressured to identify with the group. The whole is much more important than the individual….You are put in the position of competing with the interests of the whole, which generates guilt…
The workshop lectures are an emotional rollercoaster and an intellectual barrage. To deal adequately with the concepts explored in a workshop would take months and months, if not years and years. By the end of the workshop, you have been through an intense period of no reflection, constant activity, no privacy, immense pressure toward identification with the group, suspicion of your desires to be separate from the group, roller-coaster emotions, and a barrage of ideas that have left you confused and unsure of yourself."
In addition to these overt examples, certain common and socially accepted interactions might be part of the bag of tricks used by schmoozers, con artists, and cult recruiters to manipulate, influence, control, and, in the end, get recruits to say yes, come back for more, sign up, and make a commitment. For example, a good recruiter knows that people will respond to certain buzzwords, such as love, peace, brotherhood. He might explain that these idealized goals can be attained if the recruit behaves "properly." In most cases, the desired behavioral change is accomplished in small incremental steps; conversion to the new worldview is a gradual process.
Some methods used during cult recruitment and indoctrination are similar to hypnotic techniques used in various clinical or therapeutic contexts. In a cult environment, however, this type of manipulaton has a dual purpose:to instill deep hypnotic suggestions that are meant to change behavior and patterns of thinking; and to maintain control of the individual.
Recruiters use similar tactics in their mirroring of the interests and attitudes of recruits. By striking a responsive chord, the recruiter, like the hypnotist, paces the subject from a psychological beginning point, slowly and carefully leading the person to the next stage. If successful, the recruiter will now be able to define the recruit's reality. A skilled recruiter establishes an environment in which the recruit is made to feel special, loved, among new friends, and a part of something unique. While the recruit is in a susceptible state, verbal and nonverbal messages are directly and indirectly conveyed about proper behavior and thinking patterns. "It cannot be stated strongly enough," writes Jesse Miller, a clinical psychologist, "that the process of pacing and leading recruits is not only part of the initial indoctrination but is also, along with elaborate reinforcement schedules and the merciless manipulation of guilt and humiliation, an ongoing feature of cult membership."
Cults can exert significant control over the individual, ultimately influencing his mental processes and daily activities and actions, even while he is physically away from the group.
Take Back Your Life
by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias
pages 24-26
Some people may find the comments posted by someone called "Lover of God" to the following forum useful. This is a follow up of my previous post to this forum on March 27th, 2013.
ReplyDeletehttp://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?12,57030,page=4
"I am familiar with this group. It has its issues, but by and large it helps alot of people deepen their spirituality. For the handful of negative stories, there are thousands of active participants in the U.S. and many more around the world who get alot out of it and feel it is very positive for them. Keep in mind this group is mostly made up of converts, although in the last few years it has attracted more Muslim-born immigrants. The majority of the membership are intelligent, educated professionals. Think psychologists, doctors, business people. These are people who would be critical of any hokum pokum as they have a good head on their shoulders. Sufi masters who aren't the real deal sometimes get away with stuff in the East when their membership is poor and undeducated. Just visit a Sufi shrine in India to get a sense of that. Harder to do that with a highly intelligent, educate membership. Sidi Mohammed al-Jamal is the real deal, a widely respected religious figure known throughout the Muslim world. His community in the UK predates the one in the U.S. and the group in both countries ais full of wonderful, loving people."
. . .
Continued on the page introduced above.
Peer Pressure and Lack of Information
DeletePeer pressure is a critical factor in keeping people in cults. Former members have told me, "In my group we had doctors, lawyers, social workers, people with all kinds of advanced degrees, intelligent people. I would look around, and I'd think, Well, Joe's still doing it. Mary's still doing it. It must be me; it must me. I just don't get it. There is something wrong with me; I just have to try harder."
Cult members feel that way because nobody else is speaking out---because nobody CAN speak out. The one who does feels alone, isolated, contaminated, wrong. Directly or indirectly, all the cult members actively encourage each other to behave in certain ways. Since we are social animals, it is difficult to resist such pressures.
In addition, the cult's dishonesty about many things keeps members from knowing what is really going on. Members are not only kept from sources of outside information but are also told lies and misrepresentations about the cult, the leader, and the group's activities. The importance or influence of the cult's actions is made larger than it really is; the leader's reputation is embellished, if not fabricated; the number of members or followers is often exaggerated to make the group look larger and more popular; and world events are distorted, as are the outside world's attitudes toward the cult. All these myths bout the cult and the society at large are generally perpetuated not only by the leader but by his inner circle of leadership as well. The resulting lack of knowledge among most members helps prevent them from making a real assessment of the situation they are in.
Margaret Thaler Singer
Cults In Our Midst - pg. 269-270
I was a student with Jaffe 1996 at The School of Energy Mastery .I still use what I learned from him and his gifted teachers today in my practice. He was a warm, loving ,caring person and I was excited to find out he was coming to my area this weekend. I am not interested in Sufism but I wanted to re-connect with the Jaffe I remembered at the school, as the school was life changing. I have never found anything like it or teachers like those that were there since. However,after reading these blogs I am really not sure if I want to go . To be sure I will form my own opinion but I have to say I am really shocked by what I have read.
ReplyDeleteI will keep you posted if I go.
www.rense.com/general26/raidersofthelost.htm
DeleteYou may want to read this if you're having second thoughts.
SEX LIES AND SUICIDE BOMBERS
Deleteexcerpts from
www.rense.com/general26/raidersofthelost.htm
7-9-2
"There are a number of areas where Yasser Arafat defers to a quiet and amiable former Jordanian judge, Imam and Sufi teacher called Sheikh Muhammad Sa'id al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i, also called Sidi."
"Sidi claims to be the head of the Shaduliyyah Order of Sufism, with 15 million members worldwide. American adherents consider him to be The Guide of the Path, a perfect master. In Palestine, they don't take this so literally, HAVING CLOSED DOWN A RETREAT CENTER BECAUSE OF REPEATED ALLEGATIONS OF SIDI'S ADULTERY."
"He has visited America on several occasions, and raises several hundred thousand dollars each time through various organizations, the Shaduliyya Center, the Shaduliyah Sufi Center, and the Jaffe Institute (Shadhiliyya Sufi Center, University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism). The flow of money continues post 9/11, with no accountability."
"One indication might be that Sidi would make frequent visits to family members in Tul Karm, the local center for the Al-Aqsa Brigade suicide bombers. He reportedly would leave his home in East Jerusalem with large sums of cash in his pocket, including cashed checks and money from American devotees who would send it to him directly, believing it was going to charitable causes."
"Questioning either Sidi or Dr. Jaffe about the money or adultery elicits responses best described as implausible non-deniability. Sidi does the same when faced with questions about his views on Israelis and the control of East Jerusalem. To his students in the west, he proclaims love and generosity to Israelis. From the pulpit, his sermons contain phrases (translated) like "The Israelies are with the shaytun, they will get what they deserve." In America, in April 1999 he also said, "Get the Israelis out of Jerusalem." When Arafat's men went to ask him about ending the Intifada, his reply (translated) was, "We need to keep the bombers, they are martyrs for their country, I tell him not to stop.""
it seems like you have little to no true knowledge about what's happening in Palestine. Now, Israel. wether its Sidi or any other person. It's wrong to accuse someone of terrorism just because of their nationality or faith. If Sidi was a terrorist or supporting terrorism the FBI would have already took care of them. as you might know Muslims are oppressed anywhere you go in the west. they get stopped at borders, they get picked for extra search, they get interrogated by gov officials all the time and these are just regular people who are not even religious but they happened to be born in a muslim country. So for you to say all of these allegations, it seems absurd that he hasnt been arrested till now which proves you are just talking and your talk is not true.
DeleteI have been practicing Sufism with the Shadduliyah order for the last 3 years. In my personal experience it has deepened my life tremendously and I feel more peace and happiness. I say with all clarity that this spirituality is not a cult. All of my brothers and sisters in this path of some of the most kind and genuine people I have met.
ReplyDeleteA background story. A few years ago I smoke marijuana almost religiously. I don't even know why, I didn't even enjoy it a lot of the time. And, it changed my perception of reality. I was viewing life through the fantasies in my head. When I stopped smoking marijuana altogether, I started feeling much more clear. So a question to everyone with negative experiences with the Sufi path. Are you smoking marijuana, or drinking alcohol, or engaging in any other addictive behavior? Are you following the path wholeheartedly, or are you slacking off? It is impossible transform your life through Sufism if you continue to live unhealthily; it is in contradiction to the spiritual path. In a related sidenote, my Aikido teacher once said, "you cannot blame any martial art if you are not doing it correctly." Sorry for the rant. But I think everyone needs to look at themselves before blaming an organization or person.
A person who is in a cult doesn't know that they are in a cult.
ReplyDeleteThat's the dilemma!!!
Most cult members are very "normal" people. They are typically educated, intelligent, and idealistic. Often, they're highly successful professionals. Cults know they make the best recruits. (Destructive cults all operate basically the same way)
Remember, it's NOT the devotees, it's the LEADERS.
This path has been the biggest blessing of my life. Through the practices I have more love, gratitude, self-awareness, social responsibility, joy and contentment than I ever thought possible. Follow the love, fear and pain lead to more fear and pain. I used to blame everything and everyone for my suffering and it kept me a prisoner. When I finally realized that everything that happened "to me" from the "outside" was truly a hidden place inside myself that needed to change. This path is not for the faint of heart. People are people and Allah is Allah. Everyone will make mistakes, who are we to judge, judge yourself and your own actions. It is ok to hate something someone does. The healing happens when you allow them back into your heart, even if they are no longer physically in your life. This keeps the flow of love moving and will heal any illness. Sidi is a human, he has made mistakes and I have personally witnessed him crying for his mistakes and asking Allah for forgiveness. Ibrahim is a human he makes mistakes and likewise I have seen and heard him apologize publicly for his actions. All of you who were hurt, I am truly sorry. I sometimes thank Allah that I found the path in 2006. Although anything that happened in the past can be healed if you are willing to let it go. Allah says in His Quran to the Messenger (SAWS) you are but a messenger. Sidi, Ibrahim and all teachers put themselves out there for all to judge and continue against much criticism and I am grateful. Allow yourself to find out for yourself. God is greater than all of creation, He will not lead you astray. By the way, I was raised Catholic, found the Sufi path and now embrace Islam, however will attend and pray with anyone who loves God/Allah. Make no separation and if separation is what you see, then look to yourself, love yourself. Peace and blessings to you all. oh and I found this site and it intrigued me to hear and see all of this. I heard most of this when I started the path, but I followed my own heart, had my own journey and I encourage all of you to do the same.
ReplyDeleteIMPORTANT ISSUES TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A SPIRITUAL TEACHER
Delete- What credentials does this teacher possess that qualifies him/her to give this instruction?
- How does this teacher maintain his/her authority in the group or in relationships? Does he/she claim to be the only teacher that gives this instruction?
- Can you challenge the teacher's instruction? Can you question his/her advice? What happens if you disagree with the teacher?
- Who does this teacher report to? If you were to complain about the teacher, to whom would you go? Is there a system of checks and balances within his/her line of authority?
- Within this organization who makes the rules? Who can change the rules? How often does this happen? What happens when someone breaks the rules?
- What will you be expected to 'give up' or 'sacrifice' to study with this teacher? Ask this question in advance and be as specific as possible.
- Are students free to leave this teacher/group? What happens to those who leave?
- When do you graduate from this instruction?
-How does the teacher talk about those who have left the group? Is contact with them allowed, discouraged, or forbidden?
- What attitude does the teacher have toward maintaining relationships with friends, family, and others outside the group?
- What is the teacher's attitude toward people outside the group in general? Are you encouraged to be tolerant and understanding, or judgmental and elite?
- Are secrets being kept from you? Is information restricted in any way?
- Does this teacher repeatedly remind you to listen to your HEART and not your head? If so, why must you disconnect from rational thought to learn this teaching?
- Does the group use 'mind-altering' exercises, i.e. meditation/chanting/praying for long periods of time, sleep deprivation, constant busyness, or protein deprivation? What scientific, documented proof does this teacher have that these practices will enable the student to reach higher states of consciousness?
- Ask the teacher about his/her attitudes about sex in the group. Does the same standard apply to the student and the teacher? If the standards are different, ask why.
- Who pays for the leader's expenses and lifestyle? Is it dramatically different from the students: Will your financial responsibility continue to increase to maintain good standing? Is there an annual report for this group? Every bonafide church, charity, and non-profit organization has this information available to anyone who asks for it.
These questions are meant to provide areas of exploration. Many teachers will not respond directly to your inquiries. We encourage you to do your own research and scrutinize your teacher as closely as possible. Remember: avoidance to your questions should raise a red flag. A healthy spiritual community, church, or teacher, will encourage questions about their group. Attitudes of avoidance or secrecy may tell you something about what the future will be like in this group.
Authors: Sharon Colvin and Rosanne Henry, M.A.,L.P.C.
Both are former cult members who compiled this "20/20 Hindsight List" of questions they wish they had asked before they got involved with their spiritual leaders and communities. They didn't demand answers to these questions because they didn't know they could.
cultrecover.com
DeleteFor the Last seven years I have studied with both Sidi and Dr. Jaffe. Having a science background I have an inquisitive and ascertaining mind. My experience has been overall amazingly transformative. And I have discovered Dr. Jaffe to be incredibly generous with his time and finances. Often, He gains very little financially from the seminars he is invited to attend across the country...and expends tremendous energy helping those whom attend the workshops. He is very charitable and often gives without expectation or need for return...to those who come to him for healing. Personally I have witnessed his healing ability which is profound. Currently he is working with both myself and my father for very little financial gain and I am receiving tremendous benefits. There is a quality of such deep peace, love and wisdom that emanates from him and creates trust and hope for the betterment of humanity as a whole. While nobody is perfect, I think Dr. Jaffe is sincere in his desire to help others and his personal deep desire to better himself. When we look to others as role models of perfection, our own imperfection may tarnish what we see. If we put others on pedestals they will always fall off. However, if we open to a deeper place of unity with all beings, suddenly we achieve the inner freedom to see and experience the Divine Light in a beautiful unifying form. Please don't let these above hurtful comments prevent you from following your deeper knowing and attending a seminar or workshop. You may be happily surprised!
ReplyDeleteI also know Dr. Jaffee from Energy Mastery School 1994-1996. To attend this school has been one of my best decisions in life. I am very grateful that we met because he and the other teachers opened gates for me that were closed before. I have not seen him since, I have not been travelling to USA anymore and he didn't come to Europe. Otherwise I probably would have attended more of his seminaries. With Robert (Ibrahim) Jaffe I met a great healer and clairvoyant person but I never ever put him on a pedestral. He is a human being like all of us. We all are not perfect.
Delete"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"
Generous? Jaffe charges $500 for a "healing session"! His small private weekend seminars in Sedona will run you a lot more. I know; unfortunately I have put plenty of money in his pocket. The cheaper seminars he does around the country - like "Path of Love" are recruiting/brainwashing expeditions to bring more people to "the path.
DeleteSufism is the exact opposite of a cult, they're not going to brainwash you or hurt you. I could never say I agree with everything they say or do but if you've tried reiki and you understand it, than you'll get sufism as well (I would think). There are people who try to rip you off (mostly on the internet) with holistic cures but Ibrahim is definitely not one of them. I've been doing energy healing for 3-4 years now and while I'm not cured of my illness I'm living a normal life again. If you took the risk of not taking medication because you heard you could be healed with alternatives than that's on you.
ReplyDeleteSufism is the exact opposite of a cult, they're not going to brainwash you or hurt you. I could never say I agree with everything they say or do but if you've tried reiki and you understand it, than you'll get sufism as well (I would think). There are people who try to rip you off (mostly on the internet) with holistic cures but Ibrahim is definitely not one of them. I've been doing energy healing for 3-4 years now and while I'm not cured of my illness I'm living a normal life again. If you took the risk of not taking medication because you heard you could be healed with alternatives than that's on you.
ReplyDeletehttp://vimeo.com/61180038
ReplyDeleteJust watched the video posted above (http://vimeo.com/61180038). It's excellent and definitely worth watching!
ReplyDelete"One particularly effective hypnotic technique involves the deliberate use of confusion to induce a trance state. Confusion usually results whenever contradictory information is communicated congruently. For example, if a hypnotist says in an authoritative tone of voice "The more you try to understand what I am saying, the less you will never be able to understand it. Do you understand?" The result is a state of temporary confusion. If you read it over and over again, it may finally make sense. However, if a person is kept in a controlled environment long enough, hearing such disorienting language and confusing information, he will usually suspend his critical judgement and adapt to what he perceives everyone else is doing. In such an environment, the tendency within most people is to doubt themselves and defer to the group." Combatting Cult Mind Control by S. Hassan
ReplyDeleteWow, this is disturbing. I recently discovered Sidi and Ibrahim's group and instantly fell in love. Now, after searching online for more information about Sidi's life (I expected all good news), I have found this page claiming abuse and manipulation! There are claims of financial and sexual misconduct here, and I need to know whether any of these are backed up by evidence, or if they are just stories and rumors. If you, or someone you know, has witnessed any of these wrongdoings personally, I hope that you will have the courage to contact me directly. Or maybe you can give me the names of some of these people who have left the group. I have no idea how to find them! As someone who is considering joining this group, I need to know the truth!!! You can contact me at sojourner.freeman@gmail.com, and I promise to keep your identity, and what you share, completely confidential. I'm not interested in creating a big stink. I just want to gather information from all sides so that I can make the best decision for myself and my future. I am not interested in what you "heard" or what your friends "heard." Please only contact me if you have had some direct personal experience with the group. Thank you for helping a stranger!!!
ReplyDeleteforum.culteducation.com/list.php?12,page=2
ReplyDeleteCult Education Forum
"Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"
A Sufi Cult (page 2)
Ex-teacher (page 3):
"I was a faculty member of Jaffe's school for 10 years, and I can definitely verify what previous posters have said. My intentions in posting here are to help anyone who is still a member of, associated with, or considering joining this organization......"
"......Dr. Jaffe was once a student of Osho/Baghwan Shree Rajneesh......."
read more of this post and others at website listed above
(culteducation.com)
1984-Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Bioterrorism Attack
DeleteIn 1984 the cult followers of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh spread salmonella in the salad bars of ten restaurants in the town of The Dalles, Oregon, sickening 750 residents. It was the first bioterrorism act in modern American history.
Rajneesh had once been a professor of philosophy at Sagar University in Jabalpur, India. He began to develop a cult following after delivering a lecture titled "From Sex to Super-consciousness" in the 1960s. The guru eventually presided over an ashram in Pune, India, and later led his followers to Oregon in 1981.
During 1981 Rajneesh moved almost seven thousand of his disciples, called "Rajneeshies," to a a one-hundred-square-mile ranch near The Dalles to form a community compound. The Rajneeshies effectively took over the nearby small town of Antelope. Eerily reminiscent of Jonestown, the newly incorporated city was called "Rajneeshpuram." And like Jim Jones, Rajneesh had his own heavily armed security force.
Hoping to exercise more political power in the region, the Rajneeshies planned to take over Wasco County judgeships and the sheriff's office. The salmonella poisoning was part of an organized effort to incapacitate voters who would vote against Rajneesh's designated slate of candidates. Cult members ultimately hoped to contaminate The Dalles water supply. The poisoning of local salad bars was done as a preliminary test.
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh reportedly bragged about bedding hundreds of women, which earned him the title of "sex guru." Wealthy disciples bought the guru expensive gifts, including a fleet of more than ninety Rolls-Royce automobiles. When asked why he needed so many cars, Rajneesh replied that his goal was to have 365, a Rolls-Royce for each day of the year. He often rode the cars during ceremonial parades at Rajneeshpuram.
Meanwhile, reportedly about 87 percent of the residents of Rajneeshpuram had a sexually transmitted disease.
from Cults Inside Out
by Rick Alan Ross
Ex-teacher:
"The people I met in this organization always had the highest of intentions. We really thought we were in something wonderful, that we were cultivating self-responsibility and awareness, and could never get caught up in something as insidious as a cult. We even had discussions about how this was not a cult, and we were all very aware of what was going on.
But then, the stories began…and I wouldn't find out for years that all of them were true, even though I was one of the ten people in the "innermost circle" of the organization, and one of the highest ranked teachers in the country. In short, Sidi was having sexual relations with his students (while married, both he and his students), he gathered enormous amounts of money from us every year on his visits, and while some was given to charities in Jerusalem" *(see Rense.com: Raiders of the Lost Ark), " he also gave much of it to his sons who lived in the Bay Area (and weren't very financially solvent themselves, I believe).
I don't even know where to begin or end, really - sexual abuse, financial abuse , psychological abuse…there was/is so much lying about everything, it just hurts to think about all the well-intentioned people who have been hoodwinked by Sidi al-Jamal over the years.
I hope this helps, and I hope that anyone who hears about this organization or its communities (for they exist around the USA; West, South, East, and North), or the "Sufi University" can see this group for what it is - nice people, but 99% of them have no idea what they're in, or getting other people into. Good luck, everyone."
Ex-teacher
forum.culteducation.com
a sufi cult page 3
I was a member of the fuqura as well. I took the bayat from Sidi himself. A few years later I went on a retreat in MD where Sidi gave several talks and I had a chance to meet some other "Beloveds". I met and was unimpressed with Jaffe. He seemed very focused on getting people to pay him for teachings and healings. He was also abrasive with the women. I actually saw him arguing with 2 women in front of a small group of beloveds.
ReplyDeleteNot only did I end up leaving the Shadiliyah, but I left Islam altogether. And I'm much better for it. Anyone that wants to follow Sidi will have trouble doing so, for Jaffe will interfere with conflicting advice and threats about how we'll develop cancer if we don't believe in him.
Islam is for Arabs. I'm a Black man and we had our own religions long before the Islamic slave-traders came along. Thank God I'm free!
Everyone is so loving and caring!
ReplyDelete"When you meet the friendliest people you have ever known, who introduce you to the most loving group of people you have ever encountered, and you find the leader to be the most inspired, caring, compassionate and understanding person you have ever met, and then you learn the cause of the group is something you never dared hope could be accomplished, and all of this sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true!
Don't give up your education, your hopes and ambitions to follow a rainbow."
-Jeanne Mills, former member of the People's Temple and subsequent victim of assassination a year following the November 18, 1978 Jonestown suicides/murders
Economic damage:
ReplyDeleteMany of those leaving cults report having been systematically and consistently dispossessed of their money and property (Durocher, 1999; Thaler-Singer, 2003). In order to conceal their economic activity, some of the cults maintain accounts in foreign countries without their members being aware of the fate of their funds (Zohar, 2010).
Beloveds have mistaken astral suggestions for donations and astral sex as being from Allah.
ReplyDeleteThe first rule of recruitment is that a recruit must never suspect he or she is being recruited.
ReplyDeleteThe second rule is that the cult must monopolize the recruit's time.
- Margaret Singer
All healing is self healing. It is between me and my divine Source. People value what they pay for. The key is what or whom have we given our authority to? Frequently, and sadly, the way our authority is leveraged is through the money we give or pay. If one pays enough to someone, one has opened that much of their heart for receiving - if money sits close to the heart - one has cleared that much of the heart for receiving what was always there. Perhaps Sidi and or Ibrahim are helping remove some of what separates us from our Source.
ReplyDeleteThe cynicism and distrust I see written in this blog could reflect the parts of us that feel deeply vulnerable. Why not turn this vulnerability over to God, Christ, Allah, or your Creator/Creative force and drink in the divine mercy, protection, wisdom, truth, riches and sustenance that are your birthright.
I haven't read Sidi's books nor followed his ways, still it can be deeply painful to have a mirror of such magnitude and purity as Sidi, reflect the parts of ourselves we have ignored or disowned. I imagine that were Sidi to read warring words, he would be praying for us.
As for Ibrahim Jaffe, I found him to be generous of spirit, mind, and heart and truly anointed to be prompting deep inner healing.
Neither of these men purport to be anything other than men with gifts and flaws. Still, from my perspective, their hearts are big and clean and their striving to be presentable before their Lord is perfect.
- Jannah
Comments from Naive question regarding a man, Sidi Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i as-Shadhuli
ReplyDelete"Invest $1000 and you are guaranteed to get your money back in 13 weeks. Leave it in, and every 13 weeks you will make it back again." The members signed up en masse, and each was also asked by Ibrahim to invest an additional $1000 with the dividends going to the commune.
I read over the information provided, and it had every trapping of a "Ponzi Scheme-a type of investment fraud where the early subscribers make huge profit and then it fizzles out, leaving most people poorer and the original "schemer" much richer. We warned my mother that this was almost certainly a Ponzi Scheme, and in time, it fizzled out exactly predicted. But she ignored our cautions and warnings saying that Ibrahim and Sidi had "looked"at the investment psychically (that is the word she used) and deemed it safe for the coming two years. It fizzled out within five months. These young people and my mother lost thousands of dollars each.
I have a number of friends who follow him. I like my friends more than I like him, and, in general, his followers would be good people. He, on the other hand, has long been followed by tales of the abuse of women followers. I have personally known some of these women, some of them very well
He is a showman, using tricks which would be well-known to any hypnotist to impress his followers, such as what is known as automatic writing. Of course, he calls it someone else.
Groups like the one described tend to be isolated and naive, believing that they have the truth and others are misled and unable to understand the inner secrets. If she widens her point of view, she might be able to find her way beyond these traps on the path.
https://groups.google.com/d/topic/soc.religion.islam/s26FV9JLvrg
Sufi or Jihadist: Sidi Sheik Muhammad Al-Jamal
ReplyDeleteThis chameleon-like teacher preaches yummy-love Sufism complete with channelled/automatic-writing visits by angels and jinn when with the broken Americans, yet there's a different guy in the mosques…
Message from al-Quds Jumah Khutba
Masjid at-Tawheed, Mtn. View, California
by President of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Land of Palestine, Imam of al-Quds ash-Sharif
Shaykh as-Sayyid Muhammad Said al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i
Jerusalem and the Holy Land
………….Jerusalem is a Muslim city…….
"Jerusalem is a city of Islam and the Capital in which all Muslims are brought together and are united."…….
It is for everybody to know that our case is not only a Palestinian one, but an Islamic one, which concerns all Muslims in the world………..
…….it is a duty for every Muslim on earth to stand up,
and to rescue Jerusalem, and to send money and everything that they can, whether it be of great value or not, to support the cause of the Palestinians.
read the entire post at:
https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#ltopic/alt.islam.sufism/3mr7KvlrsYk
Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community
I must clarify that this so-called "Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land" is nothing but a structure created by PLO………….and is completely submissive to PLO agenda.
Mashaykh like al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i are accepting to be involved in the structure of PLO, are joining PLO in it's misrepresentation of a tragic reality and are ready to accuse Israel of many absurd and false things.
……………Shaykh al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i keeps absolutely silent against those horrible crimes, and actively cooperates with the criminals in their anti-Israel propaganda. …..
I am also compelled to say that his behavior and his association with a band of criminals who have appointed him as "Head" of this so-called "Higher Sufi Council" is not a positive element in his favor.
About his personal reputation, he had been living in the United States for a long period, and was compelled to leave the country because some Muslim women who had approached him in order to be admitted in Shadhiliyyah declared that he attempted to sexually abuse them. Other Muslims who have joined the tariqah also denounced his attempts to extoll from them huge amounts of money. Instead of defending himself from those repeated accusations, Shaykh al-Jamal ar-Rifa'i returned to Israel, and accepted to become the leader of this fake "Higher Sufi Council" at the service of Arafat, at the service of an organization which considers terrorism against civil population and suicide terrorism as a form of "jihad". When in the United States, he was admitting everyone to his classes on Tasawwuf, and some American Jews who were interested in Tasawwuf were very close to him, to the point that he used to say,"They are my Jewish students". When a group of these same Jewish students of his visited him in Jerusalem, he told them: "I am a Palestinian Shaykh; please refrain from visiting me. I do not want to give the impression that I have relations with Jews"………
As a matter of fact Shaykh al-Jamal simply repeats in front of the Pope the old slogans of PLO propaganda……
Moreover, and this is really the extreme limit of falsity, Shaykh al-Jamal has the courage to compare the banner of Arafat's criminals to "the banners of Peace and Love", and to "the banners of the prophets". One should seriously ask him: were the prophets using children as human shields? Were they teaching their followers to be involved in suicide terrorism? Were they shooting at civilians, children, women, old men?………
Read the entire letter at:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/islaminst/
conversations/topics/1897
"For me, some of the key differences between "brainwashing" and mind control, or thought reform, are as follows: The term "brainwashing" is often associated in people's minds with overtly coercive behaviors, exemplified by the image of a prisioner at the hands of abusive jailers. At the beginning of a "brainwashing" process, the subject looks at the "agents of influence" as the "enemy," and is forced to comply with them.
ReplyDeleteWith mind control, the "agents of influence" are viewed as friends or mentors, which cause people to lower their defenses, making them more vulnerable to manipulation. The key to mind control's success lies in its subtlety, the way it promotes the "illustion of control." The individual believes he is "making his own choices," when in fact he has been socially influenced to disconnect his own critical mind and decision-making capacity. In other words, he believes that he has freely chosen to surrender his free will to God or to a leader or ideology. When one steps back and objectively evaluates the vast amount of social influence used to get him to "surrender," the degree of manipulation becomes very obvious.
by Steve Hassan, Releasing the Bonds, pg. 40
"A thought-reform program is not a one-shot event but a gradual process of breaking down and transformation. It can be likened to gaining weight, a few ounces, a half pound, a pound at a time. Before long, without even noticing the initial changes---we are confronted with a new physique. So, too, with mind control or brainwashing. A twist here, a tweak there---and there it is: a new psychic attitude, a new mental outlook. These systematic manipulations of social and psychological influences under particular conditions are called programs because the means by which change is brought about is coordinated. And it is because the changes cause the learning and adoption of a certain set of attitudes, usually accompanied by a certain set of behaviors, that the effort and the result are called thought reform.
DeleteThus, thought reform is a concerted effort to change a person's way of looking at the world, which will change his or her behavior. It is distinguished from other forms of social learning by the conditions under which it is conducted and by the techniques of environmental and interpersonal manipulaton that are meant to suppress certain behavior and to elicit and train other behavior. And it does not consist of only one program---there are many ways and methods to accomplish it.
The tactics of a thought-reform program are organized to
---Destabilize a person's sense of self
---Get the person to drastically reinterpret his or her life's history and radically alter his or her worldview and accept a new version of reality and causality
---Develop in the person a dependence on the organization, and thereby turn the person into a deployable agent of the organization"
Cults In Our Midst p.62
Margaret Thaler Singer
SINGER'S SIX CONDITONS FOR THOUGHT REFORM
1. Keep the person unaware that there is an agenda to control or change the person
2. Control time and physical environment (contacts, information)
3. Create a sense of powerlessness, fear, and dependency
4. Suppress old behavior and attitudes
5. Instill new behavior and attitudes
6. Put forth a closed system of logic
"1. Keep the person unaware of what is going on and how she or he is being changed a step at a time. Imagine you are the person being influenced. You find yourself in an environment to which you are forced to adapt in a series of steps, each sufficiently minor so that you don't notice the changes in yourself and do not become aware of the goals of the program until late in the process (if ever). You are kept unaware of the orchestration of psychological and social forces meant to change your thinking and your behavior. The cult leaders make it seem as though what is going on is normal, that everything is the way it's supposed to be. The atmosphere is reinforced by peer pressure and peer-modeled behavior, so that you adapt to the environment without even realizing it."
ReplyDelete"The process of keeping people unaware is key to a cult's double agenda: the leader slowly takes you through a series of events that on the surface look like one agenda, while on another level, the real agenda is to get you, the recruit or member, to obey and to give up your autonomy, your past affiliations, and your belief systems. The existence of the double agenda makes this process one of non-informed consent."
"2. Control the person's social and/or physical environment; especially control the person's time. Cults don't need to have you move into the commune, farm, headquarters, or ashram and live within the cult environment twenty-four hours a day in order to have control over you. They can control you just as effectively by having you go to work every day with instructions that when not working---on your lunch hour, for example---you must do continuous mind-occupying chanting or some other cult-related activity. Then, after work, you must put all your time in with the organization."
Cults In Our Midst, pg. 64-65 ---Margaret Thaler Singer
"3. Systematically create a sense of powerlessness in the person. Cults create this sense of powerlessness by stripping you of your support system and your ability to act independently. Former friends and kinship networks are taken away. You, the recruit or follower, are isolated from your ordinary environments and sometimes removed to remote locations.
DeleteOnce stripped of your usual support network, your confidence in your own perception erodes. As your sense of powerlessness increases, your good judgement and understanding of the world are diminished. At the same time as you are destabilized in relation to your ordinary reality and worldview, the cult confronts you with a new, unanimously (group-) approved worldview. As the group attacks your previous worldview, causing you distress and inner confusion, you are not allowed to speak about this confusion, nor can you object to it, because leadership constantly suppresses questions and counters any resistance. Through this process, your inner confidence is eroded. Moreover, the effectiveness of this approach can be speeded up if you are physically tired, which is why cult leaders see to it that followers are kept overly busy."
4. "Manipulate a system of rewards, punishments, and experiences in such a way as to inhibit behavior that reflects the person's former social identity. The expression of your beliefs, values, activities, and characteristic demeanor prior to contact with the group is suppressed, and you are manipulated into taking on a social identity preferred by the leadership. Old beliefs and old patterns of behavior are defined as irrelevant, if not evil. You quickly learn that leadership wants old ideas and old patterns eliminated so you suppress them."
Cults In Our Midst, pg. 65-66
---Margaret Thaler Singer
"5. Manipulate a system of rewards, punishments, and experiences in order to promote learning of the group's ideology or belief system and group-approved behaviors. Once immersed in an environment in which you are totally dependent on the rewards given by those who control the setting, you can be confronted with massive demands to learn varying amounts of new information and behaviors. You are rewarded for proper performance with social reinforcement.
DeleteThe more complicated and filled with contradictions the new system is and the more difficult it is to learn, the more effective the conversion process will be.
Since esteem and affection from peers is so important to new recruits, any negative response is meaningful. Approval comes from having your behaviors and thought patterns conform to the models put forth by the group. Your relationship with peers is threatened whenever you fail to learn or display new behaviors. Over time, an easy solution to the insecurity generated by the difficulties of learning the new system is to inhibit any display of doubt and, even if you don't understand the content, to merely acquiesce, affirm, and act as if you do understand and accept the new philosophy or content.
6. Put forth a closed system of logic and an authoritarian structure that permits no feedback and refuses to be modified except by leadership approval or executive order. If you criticize or complain, the leader or peers allege that you are defective, not the organization. In the closed system of logic, you are not allowed to question or doubt a tenet or rule or to call attention to factual information that suggests some internal contradiction within the belief system or a contradiction with what you've been told. If you do make such observations, they may be turned around and argued to mean the opposite of what you intended. You are made to feel that you are wrong. In cultic groups, the individual member is always wrong and the system is always right.
The goal of all this is your conversion or remolding. As you learn to modify your former behaviors in order to be accepted in this closed and controlled environment, you change. You affirm that you accept and understand the ideology by beginning to talk in the simple catchphrases particular to the group. This "communication" has no foundation since, in reality, you have little understanding of the system beyond the catchphrases. But once you begin to express your seeming verbal acceptance of the group's ideology, then that ideology becomes the rule book for the subsequent direction and evaluation of your behavior.
Also, using the new language fosters your separation from your old conscience and belief system. Your new language allows you to justify activities that are clearly not in your interests. Precisely those behaviors that led to criticism from the outside world because they violate the norms and rules of the society as a whole are rationalized within the cult community through use of this new terminology, this new language."
Cults In Our Midst, pg. 67-69
---Dr. Margaret T. Singer
Physician explains mind control/phobia indoctrination:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUsOHsZliA4
(VUsOHsZIiA4)
Delete"Frequently, at gatherings of former cult members, a lively exchange takes place when participants compare their respective groups and leaders. As people begin to describe their special, enlightened, and unique leader---whether a pastor, therapist, political leader, teacher, lover, or swami---those present are often surprised to learn that their once-revered leaders are actually quite similar in temperament and personality. It seems as if these leaders come from a common mold, sometimes light-heartedly called the "Cookie-Cutter Messiah School."
ReplyDeleteTake Back Your Life, pg. 54 - Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias
Muslim Cults
DeleteIn 2001, there were people who left the Shadhili tariqah of Sidi Jamal of Jerusalem, although precious little is left online about their experiences. In 2007, there was a swarm of young Westerners who left Damascus and the Shadhili tariqah under Muhammad Yaqoubi. In 2008 until now, there have been quite a few young Westerners leaving Nun Keller, an American Sufi shaykh in Jordan. They have not been quiet as far as writing on blogs about some of their experiences, and I think we will see more with both the Shadhilis and people continuing to leave other culty tariqahs that recruited heavily in the West, such as the Ba'Alawiya and the Naqshbandiya, as well as the more liberal tariqahs that place far less emphasis on Islam and attract upper middle class non Muslims.
And if any survivor of these tariqahs reads this- know that you are not alone. There are others out there, and they can be found.
lemanal.blogspot.com/2009/02/muslim-cults.html
comment by Ex-Tariqah
sorry, Nuh Keller
DeleteThe Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power
Deleteby Joel Kramer and Diana Alsted
"When abuses are publicly exposed, the leader either denies or justifies the behaviors by saying that 'enemies of the truth' or 'the forces of evil' are trying to subvert his true message. Core members of the group have a huge vested interest in believing him, as their identity is wrapped up in believing in his righteousness. Those who begin to doubt him at first become confused and depressed, and later feel betrayed and angry. The ways people deny and justify are similar: Since supposedly no one who is not enlightened can truly understand the motives of one who is, any criticism can be discounted as a limited perspective. Also, any behavior on the part of the guru, no matter how base, can be imputed to be some secret teaching or message that needs deciphering."
By holding gurus as perfect and thus beyond ordinary explanations, their presumed specialness can be used to justify anything. Some deeper, occult reason can always be ascribed to anything a guru does: The guru is said to take on the karma of others, and that is why his body has whatever problems it has.
People justify and rationalize in gurus what in others would be considered unacceptable because they have a huge emotional investment in believing their guru is both pure and right." (p.52)
"So disciples believe they are loved unconditionally, even though this love is conditional on continued surrender. Disciples in the throes of surrender feel they have given up their past, and do not, consciously at least, fear the future…Feeling totally cared for and accepted, at the universe's center, powerful, and seemingly unafraid of the future are all achieved at the price of giving one's power to another, thus remaining essentially a child." (p.56)
It is not unusual to be in an authoritarian relationship and not know it. In fact, knowing can interfere with surrender. Any of the following are strong indications of belonging to an authoritarian group:
1. No deviation from the party line is allowed. Anyone who has thoughts or feelings contrary to the accepted perspective is made to feel wrong or bad for having them.
2. Whatever the authority does is regarded as perfect or right. Thus behaviors that would be questioned in others are made to seem different and proper.
3. One trusts that the leader or others in the group know what's best.
4. It is difficult to communicate with anyone not in the group.
5. One finds oneself defending actions of the leader (or other members) without having firsthand knowledge of what occured.
6. At times one is confused and fearful without knowing why. This is a sign that doubts are being repressed." (p.57)
"Traditional gurus teach what they were taught. Most gurus' training is through example-watching their own guru. They learn to recognize, reinforce, and reward surrender, and to negate non-surrender. Aside from more tangible rewards, they reinforce devotion with attention and approval, and punish it by withdrawing them. Though some gurus say that doubts are healthy, they subtly punish them. Doubt is not the way to get into the inner circle." (p.62)
"People whose power is based on the surrender of others develop a repertoire of techniques for deflecting and undermining anything that questions or challenges their status, behavior, or beliefs. They ridicule or try to confuse people who ask challenging questons." (p.66)
"Is experiencing intense energy a sign of spirituality, or is the experience in the same vein as young ladies who swoon in the presence of rock stars?" (p.68)
"Gurus undercut reason as a path to understanding . When they do allow discursive inquiry, they often place the highest value on paradox. Paradox easily lends itself to mental manipulaton. No matter what position you take, you are always shown to be missing the point; the point being that the guru knows something you do not." (p.74)
Additional quotes from
DeleteThe Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power
by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad
"Now through media images, leaders of all sorts can charismatically control far more people than ever before, without having any personal connection with them." (p.43)
"Cults need a continuous stream of recruits and potential converts to reinforce the belief that they're "where it's at" - the vanguard of spirituality on the planet." (p.78)
"As long as the guru still sees the possibility of realizing his ambitions, the way he exercises power is through rewarding the enthusiasms of his followers with praise and positions in his hierarchy. He also whets and manipulates desire by offering 'carrots,' and promising that through him the disciples' desires will be realized, possibly even in this lifetime. The group itself becomes an echo of the guru, with the members filling each other's needs. Within the community there is a sense of both intimacy and potency, and a celebratory, party-like atmosphere often reigns. Everything seems perfect;everyone is moving along the appropriate spiritual path. The guru is relatively accessible, charming, even fun. All dreams are realizable - even wonderful possibilities beyond one's ken." (p.78)
"What most proselytizing groups face is how to sell their beliefs without appearing to do so. Recruiting is therefore always done in the name of helping or doing some kind of good…to care about others is to get them to join." (p.79)
"A particular form of seduction that the group participates in with those flirting with joining is similar to sexual conquest. The group pours an enormous amount of focused energy and attention into potential recruits until they surrender to the group's authority, which of course has the guru and his belief system at its center. When someone does surrender, everyone celebrates the new bonding. This is a bit like a new marriage, and for the recruit, it is the honeymoon phase. This lasts as long as it does, and then the focus of the group shifts elsewhere. (This also happens in romantic love, for after the conquest the wooer's interest and focus move somewhere else.) When the honeymoon is over, the new converts must shift roles - from being the wooed to being the wooer." (p.79)
"The glorification of work always involves improving the leader's property (the commune or ashram), increasing his wealth, or some grandiose project." (p.83)
"Since adulation from any one person eventually becomes boring, gurus do not need any specific disciple - they need lots of them. Gurus do give special attention to those with wealth and power." (p.89)
"…sex scandals go with the occupation of the guru because of its [the position's] emotional isolation and eventual boredom. Disciples are just there to serve and amuse the guru who, after all, gives them so much. The guru's temptation is exacerbated by the deep conditioning in many women to be attracted to men in power." (p.93)
"Because of the nature of the relationship which demands total surrender, gurus do exactly the opposite. They cultivate and reward transference, for a parental type of authority is at the very core of the guru's power over disciples. The power to name, arrange marriages, and dictate duties and behavior are ultimates in parental authority. To give someone the power to name or marry you is to profoundly accept their parental role in defining who you are. The ostensible motivation behind this has to do with an attempt to break the ties of the past so the person can become 'new'. A deeper reason is that this aids the guru in becoming the center of the person's emotional life, which facilitates surrender." (p.105)
More quotes from
DeleteThe Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power
by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad
"Successful gurus, rock stars, charismatic leaders of any sort, experience the intensity of adulation amplified beyond most people's ken. This can make ordinary relationships pale by comparison. Being the recipient of such adulation and devotion is exceedingly addictive. Here addiction is used in its loose sense to mean mechanically needing an on-going 'fix' of adulation to where it becomes the central focus of one's life. Adulation has powerful emotions for the sender as well, and can be easily mistaken for love. It is likewise addicting for the sender, as it is an easy route to feelings of passion." (p.112)
"Why would even the most realized of beings want people to become reliant on his wisdom instead of their own?" (p.108)
"The myriad scandals around SEX, MONEY, and POWER that have tainted so many gurus are not surprising, given the structural corruptibility of the role." (p.113)
"…The ex-disciples world has turned on its head: What the guru and group presented as unconditional love was conditional upon accepting their authority; the egoless guru was found to be on a manipulative, even crass, power trip. For people who surrendered totally to a guru and thus experienced passion more deeply than ever before, seeing "THE EMPORER WEARS NO CLOTHES" can be devastating. So it's no wonder people have tremendous resistance to anything that causes them to doubt the veracity of the authority." (p.152)
"The most extreme form of mental control occurs when the authority is trusted completely and becomes the center of one's identity. Sadly, society and parents insidiously put out messages from childhood on that others know what's best. Many people are deeply conditioned to expect and hope some outside agency, power or person will solve their problems. Letting go of expectations or even wanting this is difficult, partially because what one is left with is oneself and all of one's limitations." (p.154)
"True healing can be accelerated by understanding the deep mechanisms of what happened, and of authoritarian dynamics in general. Then people can be more confident they won't be taken in again." (p.154)
"There are three primary reasons why intelligent, educated people with stable backgrounds can be drawn into cults. First, there is a pervasive lack of awareness about cults and mind control. Even when cult issues are covered in the media, mind control is frequently ignored or at best misunderstood. I cant' tell you how many times I've been on a talk show where the host asks a cult member, "Are you brainwashed?" The cult member replies, "No, of course not." As if the cult member would actually say, "yes!" What the host fails to realize is that the mind-controlled member will not know that he has surrendered control until he is able to step away from the group and learn about cult recruitment and indoctrination."
ReplyDeleteSteve Hassan - Releasing the Bonds, pg.86
Listen, I was in Sidi's cult for many years. Here's the deal.
DeleteMoney,money,money. Go on their website. Look at how expensive the books are. And as a few people have already said, it's regurgitated new age nonsense. Only instead of Xenu it's Mohammed that has all these mystical powers.
Brainwashing. You must copy his $40 book by hand when you join. It's hundreds of pages long.
Brainwashing. It is a fact that they get together at Amina's house on Fridays and chant formulas written by Sidi. All night long. They literally stop at sunrise.
I can't comment on any sexual improprieties because I never witnessed or heard of any when I was with the group.
It's true that jaffe charges for cancer cures though.
Yes! You're right.
DeleteBehavioral-Control System Methods Used to Support a Behavioral-Control System
Induced dissociation and other altered states by putting person in mild form of trance (through chanting, repeating affirmations, extended periods of meditation or prayer, etc)
Assignment of monotonous tasks or repetitive activities, such as chanting or meditating, or cleaning or copying written materials or rote administrative work.
read the entire list and more at
cultresearch.org
Great example from the TODAY SHOW
DeleteFebruary 20,2016
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxz4xr4cT5o
DR. DREW: excellent discussion
ReplyDeletedrdrew.com/132/
(podcast #132)
Haha this is the same person over and over again pretending to be different people so to look like you have a following. Get a life
ReplyDeleteNope. I post anonymously because it isn't safe for me to do otherwise. Also have no interest in receiving backlash from beloveds trying to fix or save me.
DeleteMe too. Since you 'get it' and have the ability to cut through all the BS you help a lot of people. Many thanks.
DeleteI met Shaykh Ibrahim twice at the compound in Northern California. It struck me as a somewhat desperate place, in need of huge infusions of money to get it going, and I was not surprised to later hear that the Shaykh publicly admitted to mishandling funds for the group. I *was* surprised a few months later to receive a letter advertising a course by the shaykh on money management.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I was somewhat put off by his personality, but I have problems with authority and try to allow for that. I was also involved with Scientology for about 4 years, one of them at the world headquarters where I could directly observe their techniques, and I did not see cult techniques in play at the ranch. However, two meetings is not enough to judge a teacher. I did correspond with one of the beloveds who was broke and desperate and had no place to live and no income. I felt for her, but I was not in a position to do more than pray for her.
I would close by reminding you of one of the most powerful epigrams in Sufism, which I have found to be completely true: A sincere student can turn a false teacher into a true teacher.
Hamza abdulQahhar an-Naqshbandi
CULT RECRUITING TECHNIQUES
ReplyDeleteHere are some key warning signs that may indicate a cult is trying to recruit you:
Hyped Meetings
Rather than explain to you what the group believes or what their program is up front, they will instead insist that you can only understand if you come to a group meeting. There everyone around you will seem so enthusiastic that you will start to think there is something wrong with you. They create an environment where you will feel uncomfortable and the only way to become comfortable is to join them. This is an application of controlled peer pressure.
Intense Unrelenting Pressure
They call repeatedly. Trick you into coming for only an hour and then lead you into a long study, meeting or talk. They have to keep the pressure on, otherwise you might snap out of the mind control environment they are trying to immerse you in.
THEY TELL YOU THAT THEY ARE NOT A CULT.
This is a preemptive strike against the warnings from friends and family members which they know will come. In fact, some cults go so far as to tell you that Satan will try and dissuade you by sending family members and friends to tell you it is a cult. When this tactic is used then often a warped form of logic occurs in the recruits' mind, the "agents of Satan" do come and tell them that it is a cult. So since the group predicted that would happen, the group therefore must be true! Basically if any group tells you that they are not a cult, or that some people call them a cult, then for goodness sake find out why!
WARNING SIGNS
(not all necessary)
Single charismatic leader.
People always seeming happy and enthusiastic.
Instant friends.
If you are told who you can or cannot talk to or associate with.
They hide what they teach.
Say they are the only TRUE group, or the best so why go anywhere else.
Hyped meetings, get you to meetings rather than share with you.
Experiential rather than logical.
Asking for money for the next level.
Saying that they have to make people pay for it because otherwise they will not appreciate it. This is of course a very silly reason, plenty of people are able to appreciate things which they did not pay for.
Cults know that if they can control your relationships then they can control you. Whether we like it or not we are all profoundly affected by those around us. When you first go to a cult they will practice "love bombing", where they arrange instant friends for you. It will seem wonderful, how could such a loving group be wrong? But you soon learn that if you ever disagree with them, or ever leave the cult then you will lose all your new "friends". This unspoken threat influences your actions in the cult. Things that normally would have made you complain will pass by silently because you don't want to be ostracized. Like an unhealthy relationship love is turned on and off to control.
Cults also try to cut you off from your friends and family because they hate others being able to influence you. A mind control cult will seek to maneuver your life so as to maximize your contact with cult members and minimize your contact with people outside the group, especially those who oppose your involvement.
REPORTING STRUCTURE
Everyone is encouraged to watch out for "struggling" brothers and sisters and report what they see to leadership. Cult leaders will then use this information to convince their members that they have a supernatural link, the trusting member does not suspect the very natural mechanism behind the supernatural revelations they are given.
TIME CONTROL
Mind control cults keep their members so busy with meetings and activities that they become too busy and too tired to think about their cult involvement.
Time control also helps the cult keep their members immersed in the manufactured cult environment.
And time control helps keep members away from friends and family.
Many posts and links by Moriarty at
sunniport.com/index.php?threads/cult-mind-control.11128/page-1
What is mind control?
DeleteMind control refers to a process in which a group or individual systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated.
Such methods include:
-extensive control of information in order to limit alternatives from which members may make "choices";
-deception;
-group pressure;
-intense indoctrination into a belief system that denigrates independent critical thinking and considers the world outside the group to be threatening, evil, or gravely in error;
-an insistence that members' distress-much of which may consist of anxiety and guilt subtly induced by the group-can be relieved only by conforming to the group;
-physical and/or psychological debilitation through inadequate diet or fatigue;
-the induction of dissociative (trance-like) states (via the misuse of meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, and other exercises) in which attention is narrowed, suggestibility heightened, and independent critical thinking weakened;
-alternation of harshness/threats and leniency/love in order to effect compliance with the leadership's wishes;
-isolation from social supports;
-and pressured public confessions.
There appear to be three overlapping stages:
DECEPTION
Recruits are duped into believing that the group is benevolent and will enrich their lives by, for example, advancing their spirituality or increasing their self-esteem and security. As a result of this deception and the systematic use of highly manipulative techniques of influence, recruits come to commit themselves to the group's prescribed ways of thinking , feeling, and acting; in other words, they become members or converts.
DEPENDENCY
By gradually isolating members from outside influences, establishing unrealistically high and guilt-inducing expectations, punishing any expressions of "negativity", and denigrating independent, critical thinking, the group causes members to become extremely dependent on the group's compliance-oriented expressions of love and support.
DREAD
Once a state of dependency is firmly established, the group's control over members' thoughts, feelings, and behavior is strengthened by the members' growing dread of losing the group's psychological support, however much it may aim at ensuring their compliance with leadership's often debilitating demands.
Michael D. Langone, Ph.D.
DECEPTION
ReplyDeleteA cult needs to recruit and operate using deception. Why?
Because if people knew their true practices and beliefs beforehand then they would not join. A cult needs to hide the truth from you until they think you are ready to accept it.
For example, imagine if the leader of Heavens Gate cult was open and honest about the group and had said to new recruits, "Join us, wear strange clothes, get castrated and then drink poison!" he would not have had many takers.
NO LEGITIMATE GROUP NEEDS TO LIE OR MISLEAD YOU ABOUT WHAT THEY PRACTICE OR BELIEVE.
A cult will have a slick well-rehearsed Public Relations front which hides what the group is really like. You will hear how they help the poor, or support research, or peace, or the environment. They will tell you how happy you will be in their group (and everyone will always seem very happy and enthusiastic). But you will not be told what life is really like in the group, nor what they really believe. These things will be introduced to you slowly, one at a time, so you will not notice the gradual change, until eventually you are practicing and believing things which at the start would have caused you to run a mile.
FEAR & INTIMIDATION
Cult leadership is feared. To disagree with leadership is the same as disagreeing with God. The cult leaders will claim to have direct authority from God to control almost all aspects of your life.
Guilt, Character Assassination and Breaking Sessions. Guilt will be used to control you. It's always your fault, you are always wrong, and so you must try harder! You will also be made to feel very guilty for disobeying any of the group's written or unwritten rules.
Character assassination is used to help create the guilt in you. Character assassination is a type of false reasoning used by people and groups who have no real arguments.
Character assassination is a sure sign of a cult.
CULT MEMBERS ARE USUALLY VERY FEARFUL OF DISOBEYING OR DISAGREEING IN ANYWAY WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP. HEALTHY ORGANIZATIONS HOWEVER ARE NOT THREATENEND BY OPENLY DEBATING ISSUES.
INFORMATION CONTROL
Those who control the information control the person. In a mind control cult any information opposing the cult is considered evil. Members are told not to read it or believe it. Only information supplied by the cult is true. Cults train their members to not even entertain the thought that any critical information about them could be true.
IF YOU ARE INSTRUCTED BY A GROUP NOT TO READ INFORMATION CRITICAL OF THE GROUP, THEN THAT IS A SIGN OF A CULT.
Common sense tells us that a person who does not consider all information may make an unbalanced decision. Filtering the information available or trying to discredit it not on the basis of how true it is, but rather on the basis of how it supports the party line, is a common control method used throughout history.
LEGITIMATE GROUPS HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR FROM THEIR MEMBERS READING CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THEM.
People in a mind control cult will also hide their true thoughts and feelings, and instead wear a mask which presents them as a perfect cult member. This mask is a defense against being reported to leadership and being punished for not measuring up (cult members never feel like they measure up to the cult's ideals, and yet believe the other members around them do, when in reality the others feel the same as them). Hence cult members are trained not only to deceive outsiders, but also to deceive their fellow cult members.
Is information you expected to be kept confidential reported to leadership? If so then it's a cult.
Remember, beware of a group who tells you or implies who you can and cannot see.
"How Cults Work"
All I can say on the issue is someone who was a . facilitator on the west coast for many energy healing workshops long ago told me Robert Jaffe was the most effective of the energy healers she ever worked with..before he found the Sufi path. Michael
ReplyDeletequackwatch.org
DeleteAdvanced Energy Healing (Robert Jaffe Advanced Energy Healing): Alleged "journey" into "higher realms" of understanding whereby one supposedly connects with one's "divine self." Taught by Robert T. Jaffe, M.D., D.D., the method encompasses aura analysis, the Awareness Release Technique, clairvoyant diagnosis, "magnetic/radiatory healing," "soul merging," and "third eye awakening."
ncahf.org
National Council Against Health Fraud
Arizona Board of Medical Examiners
Robert Jaffe (who claims to be a clairvoyant physician) doing psychic telephone diagnoses.
"Eventually, and usually sooner rather than later, most cults expect members to devote increasing time, energy, and money or other resources to the professed goals of the group, stating or implying that a total commitment is required to reach some state such as "enlightenment." The form of that commitment will vary from group to group: more courses, more meditation, more quotas, more cult-related activities, more donations.
DeleteCults tend to have a double set of ethics. Members are urged to be open and honest within the group and to confess all to the leader. At the same time, members are encouraged to deceive and manipulate nonmembers. In contrast, established religions and ethical groups teach members to be honest and truthful to all and to abide by one set of ethics. The overriding philosophy in cults, however, is that the ends justify the means, a view that allows cults to establish their own brand of morality, outside normal social bounds."
Cults In Our Midst - pgs. 9 & 10
Margaret Thaler Singer
I was a member of the organization for over 5 years. I was VERY active and spent an average of 90 days per year travelling to various meetings, classes, and retreats. I can definitely say for me, it was a cult and largely a scam. It was VERY difficult for me to leave and took about a year for me to become "de" brainwashed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. I found it to be very helpful and am curious to know if there was anything in particular that caused you to leave the organization.
ReplyDeleteLeaving the Cult
ReplyDeleteBelief
Among the many influences that reinforce the difficulty a cult member has in just getting up and walking out, belief is probably the starting point. Your belief or sense of commitment is a very powerful force--whether that belief relates to a specific god or religion, a certain brand of politics, animal rights, living in the country and being free, your family, or the existence of magic. Being able to carry out their beliefs and act on their ideas is very appealing to people. It seems to be the normal human condition that we want to believe in something; we need beliefs that help us understand our universe.
In the world of cults, belief becomes the glue that binds the person to the group. You begin to go along with things, no matter what group you are in, because you believe in the group. You believe in the goals and in the people who are doing these things with you. You believe in the leader. You believe you are going to accomplish something.
In most cults, you are told that, in order to live out the group's belief, you must make certain changes in yourself. So you say, "Okay, I accept that. I believe this, I agree with it, and I'll make changes," and slowly those changes begin to have a radical effect on your thoughts and actions, though you are not highly conscious of this effect.
Decency and Loyalty
A second major influence that keeps people in cults is that most people are decent, honest beings. They want to do good, be altruistic, and achieve something in their lives. And they are loyal. Once most people make a commitment to something, they don't easily renege on that commitment.
So when you make a commitment to a group and it's a group you believe in fervently, it's very hard to go back. Later, when you begin to see things going on around you that you don't understand, you may say to yourself, "Well, I said I was going to do this, and I was told that it was going to be hard. Now, some of this doesn't seem right to me, but I said I would go along with it, and I made a commitment. I'll stay in a little bit longer." All this time, of course, the leadership and everyone else around you are telling you that you better go along with it--in either subtle or not-so-subtle terms.
The fact that people don't like to just stand up and say "I quit" is also significant. Rather than be quitters, they will stick with it and stick with it. The longer they do, the harder it is to get out, so not wanting to be a quitter becomes yet another element that keeps them in the cult.
Cults in Our Midst, Margaret Singer
pgs. 267-268
Authority Figures
DeleteAnother major point of influence is that we're brought up to respect authority figures, leaders, people who are going to give us answers. We are told when we are young, and all through school, that there are answers and authorities. We are supposed to listen to the answers and look up to people who "know better."
So, when you are told not to question your cult, your rationale for doing as you are told is that doing otherwise would be disrespectful to the leader, who knows all. The leader knows better. The leader has the all-powerful answer. Your questions and doubts are discouraged.
**********
Because of the powerful combination of belief, loyalty, dependency, guilt, fear, peer pressure, lack of information, and fatigue, all of which probably have equal psychological weight, members do not readily leave cults. Decent, honorable people do not easily give up on commitments, and the cult environment is such that it makes leaving practically impossible.
Many cult members, especially those who remain at a low status within the group, endure a state of mental conflict and torment for years. Others rise in the cult hierarchy and are taught to perpetuate the manipulative system. They learn to fake miracles, fake cures, give false presentations on cult victories, and cover for the corrupt leader. Their role is to enforce obedience and dependency, and they learn to rationalize their own behavior as well as that of the leader. Despite knowing the falsehoods, they stay because of the status and power they enjoy. They also stay because they are trapped by the same influences as the others,.....
Cults in Our Midst, Margaret Singer
pg. 268 & 274
More!!!!!! I want more people to stand to what is right and strait. Give your stories so others won't feel stranded like I did when I stood up in my year 1 class and had to tell myself listen to the guide not them. We by now should know the difference. You have the books you need nothing else. Well maybe more time to READ. Don.t blame anyone but yourself for not seeing it with your own eye. I did. I am truly happy that I have taken hands with the late great Sidi. May he always rest in the arms of the one God called Allah.amin
ReplyDeleteWhat is there to leave?
ReplyDeleteLike you said, READ!!
DeleteRead the books that people have cited here.
Go to the links that people have provided and you'll find the answer to your question.
And if you can't, why not??
LEGITIMATE organizations will ALWAYS allow and encourage you to consider ALL information and make your own conclusions.
If not, that's a HUGE RED FLAG!!
EDUCATION is the key that unlocks the box.
Do you need a Loan?
ReplyDeleteAre you looking for Finance?
Are you looking for a Loan to enlarge your business?
I think you have come to the right place.
We offer Loans atlow interest rate.
Interested people should please contact us on
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reply to this emails below only:Email
osmanloanserves@gmail.com
Please, do provide us with the Following information if interested.
LOAN APPLICATION INFORMATION FORM
First name:
Middle name:
Date of birth (yyyy-mm-dd):
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Marital status:
Total Amount Needed:
Time Duration:
Address:
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Phone:
Mobile/cellular:
Monthly Income:
Occupation:
Which sites did you know about us…..
osmanloanserves@gmail.com
Obviously, disregard the previous irrelevant comment.
DeleteWhat is a Cult?
ReplyDelete"A cult is a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing and employing unethically manipulative techniques or persuasion and control (e.g., isolation from former friends and family, debilitation, use of special methods to heighten suggestibility and subservience, powerful group pressures, information management, suspension of individuality or critical judgement, promotion of total dependency on the group and fear of leaving it, etc.) designed to advance the goals of the group's leaders to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community." (West & Langone, 1986)
What Are Some Characteristics of a Cult?
- Authoritarian in their power structure
- Totalitarian in their control of the
behavior of their members
- Pyramidal structure
- Uses thought reform techniques
- Isolation of members (physical and/or psychological isolation)from society
- Uses deception in recruiting and/or fund raising
- Promotes dependence of the members on the group
- Totalitarian in their world view
- Uses mind altering techniques (chanting, meditation, hypnosis and various forms of repetitive actions) to stop normal critical thinking
- Appear exclusive and innovative
- Charismatic or messianic leader who is self-appointed and has a special mission in life
- Controls the flow of information
- Instills a fear of leaving the group
Signs that an organization may have cultish characteristics
The following individual signs do not necessarily imply there is a cult problem with an organization, but if many are evident at the same time it may indicate that such a problem does exist.
- Has there been strong pressure for me to join or to stay?
- Am I being pressured to recruit others?
- Are my doubts and questions discouraged, avoided, or even forbidden?
- If I'm critical of the group, am I told there's something wrong with me?
- Do I not have an opportunity to verify information provided by the group?
- Am I expected to reveal fears and secrets?
- Does the group's leadership dictate how I should act, think, or feel?
- Do I not get enough sleep now or have enough time to devote to outside pursuits and responsibilities?
- Am I made to feel fear or guilt when I don't do exactly as my leader or elders in the group told me?
- Have I lost my old friends?
- Have I missed important family occasions because I was encouraged to be with fellow group members instead or given an urgent task to complete?
- Is there a belief that the leader has special powers?
- Have I been promised things by the group that have yet to materialize?
- Was I told that joining was my only path to happiness, peace, God, or even prosperity?
Carol Giambalvo's Cult Information and Recovery
www.carolgiambalvo.com
SHADHILIYYA SUFI COMMUNITIES:
ReplyDeleteSUFI SPIRITUAL HEALERS AND TEACHERS
UNIVERSITY OF SPIRITUAL HEALING AND SUFISM
MASTERS OF DIVINITY DEGREE?
Spiritual Safeguards
Unfortunately, there really are inauthentic, abusive and dangerous "spiritual" practices as well as immature, abusive or psychologically or morally deficient spiritual "ministers" and "spiritual" organizations. There are also individuals teaching in and running spiritual organizations who have never studied psychology or the psychological and spiritual guidelines for what is ethical and unethical spiritual influence/education.
The latter ones are in a sense just innocently uneducated or under-educated. Individuals who are not well educated on the psychological and spiritual guidelines for ethical and unethical influence can unwittingly become completely sincere, well-intentioned manipulated manipulators! They can unintentionally severely harm others because "that is what they have been taught to do by someone else, their Guru or someone in teaching authority" who did not fully understand the psychological and spiritual dangers of the techniques that they were using to influence, teach and change their students.
In addition to intentional abusive influence being used in some destructive cults today, there also are psychologically abusive and psychologically dangerous influence tactics being inadvertently used in many growing and mature religious organizations today. For the unaware spiritual seeker individuals or organizations found within any of the above potentially abusive influence categories can become the source of profound spiritual, psychological and physical betrayal and damage.
Common Properties of Potentially Destructive and Dangerous Cults
The cult is authoritarian in its power structure.
The leader is regarded as the supreme authority. He or she may delegate certain power to a few subordinates for the purpose of seeing that members adhere to the leader's wishes and roles. There is no appeal outside of his or her system to greater systems of justice.
The cult's leaders tend to be charismatic, determined, and domineering.
The cult's leaders are self-appointed, messianic persons who claim to have a special mission in life.
The cult's leaders center the veneration of members upon themselves.
The cult tends to be totalitarian in its control of the behavior of its members.
The cult tends to have a double set of ethics.
The cult has basically only two purposes, recruiting new members and fundraising.
The cult appears to be innovative and exclusive.
FACTnet.org
SPIRITUAL TEACHERS AND THE NARCISSISTIC WOUND
DeleteThoughout history, great leaders and teachers have brought new ideas to the world, improving the quality of life and the overall consciousness of humanity in profound ways. For this reason, leaders and teachers are necessary for the forward movement of our world in all areas of life. Yet throughout this time, a small subgroup of the leaders, despite their profound knowledge and insight, has brought an equal measure of suffering and spiritual stagnation as a side effect to those they teach, often veiled by the illusion of spiritual or intellectual progress. The truly brilliant ones have veiled their agendas (which are often unconscious to them, never mind to their students) by 'dressing them up in white.' They present a body of spiritual 'truths' which ultimately utilize God to intimidate or control, or in the least proclaim their particular brand of spirituality as the highest or somehow most endeared by the Divine One.
This is called religious triumphalism, a phenomena that has brought more strife and world conflict than any other ideology or motivation. The theme of specialness prevails in many variations within this worldview, and those who teach from this place tend to have a few characteristic traits. These traits both reveal their true nature to a trained eye, and at the same time fuel the magnetic quality that attracts innocent and unwitting followers into the fold.
Yet thanks to the efforts of many who have first-hand experience with such leaders, the traits of such cults of personality are fairly definable. These qualities can be summed up into one simple psychodynamic pattern: the wound of narcissism.
The narcissistic wound has its origin in childhood events and parenting which set the child up to need an unnatural degree of external attention, accolade, encouragement and respect from those around him. His self-doubt is so profound that no amount of external attention is enough. Even the smallest amount of criticism must be exterminated in order for him to feel safe. Because there is no internalized sense of self-worth and value in the world, he must continuously seek out others to validate him. The result is fertile ground for leaders and teachers who require endless amounts of adoration and respect, who cannot tolerate dispute or difference of opinion, and who cannot bear the existence of someone who may not agree with them. In this scenario, all disagreeing individuals must either be converted or banished from the leader's psychological world. Feedback is seen as offensive and the teachings of the leader must be accepted without question.
continued at
www.usdusunveotesi.net
Dr. Jodi Shams Prinzivalli
is a psychotherapist, a conflict resolution specialist and a Board Certified Trauma Recovery Specialist.
I wonder why you failed to bring up the matter of your own involvement with Sidi?
DeleteI love you Sidi! thank you for helping me find God and my gifts in life.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't need Sidi or this organization to find God or your gifts in life. Take it from someone with firsthand experience and knowledge, spare your heart, your mind, and your wallet. As extremely difficult as it is, get out sooner rather than later. True spiritual teachers don't have websites exposing them and a trail of evidence revealing unethical and illegal activity.
DeleteLeaving a cult is a process that takes a long time. It takes a long time to free yourself from the brainwashing, and even when you are finished and through with them and recognize them for charlatans, many of the concepts and ideas that they teach you stick for a long time. Be patient with your son, your daughter, your husband or wife, your friend. Losing the cult in some ways is like mourning the death of a friend. Yes, it was a false illusion, but it represented friendship, spiritual growth, and bonding. Even if you know what these guys are, you are still sad to have lost what it pretended to be.
ReplyDeletehttp://ktown-survivors.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you for creating this blog and to those brave enough to post here. Would anyone be interested in creating a private forum where those of us recovering from this destructive cult could feel safe to discuss our experiences? I was in for more than a decade and rose to the inner circle, only to be horrified to discover all the rumors were true. I have been deeply traumatized and can’t sleep at night because of the flashbacks. Please, if you are considering this group, be extremely careful or you may just lose everything like I did.
ReplyDeleteA private forum would be very helpful. You are not alone.
DeleteAgreed. In the interim:
Deleteicsahome.com
refocus.org
(wonderful resources for recovery support)
ICSA's (International Cultic Studies Association) recovery workshop for former group members has taken place in Colorado for the past 25 years.
DeleteAttendees have given the workshop extremely high ratings year after year.
The facilitators, who have volunteered their time for many years, have decided that 2016 will be the last year for this workshop.
There is less than one week remaining to register for the workshop.
Recovery Workshop for Former Group Members
Colorado Springs, CO, July 29, 2016-July 31, 2016
www.icsahome.com/events/workshoprecovery
Victims of psychological coercion often struggle with the resulting symptoms for years. Depression, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame, and a host of other issues often plague survivors.
Deletewellspringretreat.org
The new movie 'Holy Hell' is available for rent. Turns out inducing mystical experiences isn't limited to gurus who are "perfect human"s.
ReplyDeleteCNN airs HOLY HELL directed by Will Allen
Delete#1 documentary on iTunes 10 days straight!!
A riveting journey inside the world of a master manipulator and those who followed him in search of The Truth.
Thanks for recommending!
cultnews.net
DeleteWatched 'Holy Hell'. Many parallels, remarkable.
Deletehttps://groups.yahoo.com/exsscgroup
ReplyDeleteInitial access is moderated.
Postings not moderated.
Where did it go? Link doesn't work. Come back!
DeleteDescriptions of the powerful energy around Sidi and Jaffee do not prove they are healers or benevolent.
DeleteRemind yourselves of the close bond shared between mothers and children - that sixth sense mothers so often feel that their kid is in trouble and needs help -- and bang, it is true.
Or that felt vibe shared by very many identical twins.
And the rapport felt during a successful relationship between oneself and a compatible healer, or one's comrades on a sports team when you and your team mates seem to just share one mind among your many bodies and things just fall together and work in synchrony during a game. Ditto for rock bands, orchestras and dance companies.
So given these real life examples backed up by testimony from many famous persons, just recall the intensity developed and shared when a multitude of fuquari and murids gather, sharing the same spiritual path and focus their attention on the Pir or Sheikh.
People's subconscious minds probably become porous and a vast quantity of subconscious energy may well be donated to the Sheikh.
Many of us come to spiritual teachers because we have been harmed by abuses of power. And, when we are newbies we are shown only the very best side of the fellowship, and shown only the good energies.
People who are glum, doubtful and depleted, either leave or perhaps are given chores that keep them away from newbies -- new energy donors.
And, money is the tracer for psychological energy the way some inert dyes are used as tracers for radioactive compounds so they show up on X rays.
To understand a the true character of a person, a sheikh or a group, follow the money.
A major point: often we are recruited into a cult by someone we respect or love -- a close friend, or God forbid, an unethical psychotherapist who is a member.
ReplyDeleteWe trust our friends. Our friend may be a brand new member who knows only the good side of the cult. Or, our buddy herself or himself may be a potential recruit for a cult and is being groomed and flattered.
Our friends, once recruited, may be coaxed or tricked to tell their cult preceptors all about us.
I was on the receiving end of a situation where I had a friend who became member of a cult, who was led into the cult by her therapist, and through this friend, I got entangled with the therapist.
I did not know enough about the rules of engagement to understand that no ethical therapist allows to friends to be clients at the same time - there were enough good therapists in our area for the guy to refer me elsewhere. Two, no ethical therapist uses his her practice for recruitment purposes. That means no mention of personal religion, no pictures of the guru or sheikh in public in client areas. And, never, ever mention
to one client what is happening to one's other clients.
I later got evidence that a good number of the cult members consulted this person.
Turned into a big, stinkin mess.
If you or someone you love is entangled in a situation of this kind, PLEASE go and discuss this with an outside therapist and do not tell your own therapist what you are doing; you may be talked out of it.
No therapist no matter how "good" is worth going to if he or she is a slave to a guru, or Pir or Sheikh. Therapists who are slaves cannot teach you how to be free. Two, there is a risk the therapist may be blabbing about you to his or her cult superiors.
Get out. If you feel scared of doing this, it means you are scared of your therapist and you really do need to get out.
Do not have a final session with a compromised therapist. Tell them you have
a family emergency and just get away.
Get outside advice. Check your former therapist's state credential.
Dont consent to a final conversation over the phone. Send a letter. If you are harassed call the state licensing agency.
Dr. Robert J. Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform
ReplyDelete1. Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.
"We control what you experience" AND how you experience it."
2. Mystic Manipulation. There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or its leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes.
"We'll make sure our system works for you" even if we have to fake it."
3. Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to conform to the ideology of the group and strive for perfection. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.
"Only those good enough can get it."
4. Confession. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality; members "sins," "attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders.
"We promise we won't use your past against you...really..."
5. Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth, beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader, as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.
"It's true because we say it's the Truth"
6. Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words and phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. The jargon consists of thought-terminating clichés, which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking.
"Our own special language helps you to think the way we want you to think."
7. Doctrine over person. Members' personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and any contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideology of the group.
"When your facts don't match our Truth, your facts are wrong."
8. Dispensing of existence. The group has the prerogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightened, unconscious and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also. (Lifton, 1989)
"The Truth is worth more than life... especially an outsider's life."
What is Brain Washing? - Cult Education Institution Videos with Rick Alan Ross 5 - YouTube
ReplyDeleteI was a member of the community for many years. I never felt like it was a cult. I never gave that much money. Still I "moved up the ranks" and became a valued part of the community. Ultimately I left, because I felt like I became someone that I wasn't me. I didn't blame the community for that. I blamed myself. I have a tendency to do things to the extreme and I have trouble with moderation. I gladly jumped into the deep end. I don't regret my time on the sufi path and I certainly don't regret meeting Sidi. I admit it's hard to reconcile in my mind the allegations against him with the warm, kind, generous person I knew. I am a better person for having been in the community and I'm glad I left when I did. If there are people that were hurt and suffered at the hands of Sidi and Ibrahim then that is truly terrible. However, I never saw anything like that. What I saw what a very strict religious path that provided a structure for self-exploration. I learned a lot in my time there. Ultimately, it wasn't my path.
ReplyDeleteThere are typically positive elements to almost every cultic experience and it's important to acknowledge that. However, there are far better places to find them.
DeleteEducate yourself about cults so you don't fall into the trap of becoming what is commonly referred to as a 'cult-hopper'.
HOW TO IDENTIFY A CULT:
ReplyDeleteSIX TIPS FROM AN EXPERT
The groups are secretive, exploitive and closed to outsiders - and they're still with us
04/29/17
CBS News
Up to 10,000 cults still exist today in the United States,
according to Steve Eichel, a recognized international cult expert and president of the International Cultic Studies Association. He outlined several ways to identify cults.
"Most cults are extremely small and very deliberately try to stay under the radar," Eichel told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. "Unless they commit a crime, unless they do something that draws attention to them--negative attention and criticism to them--we generally don't know about them."
Van Sant interviewed Eichel for his "48 Hours" report on the Austrailian cult The Family.
A discussion of The Family naturally raises the question of whether cults still exist in the United States. Many Americans, especially baby boomers, tend to think cults are a remnant of the 60's and 70's but that's not true, as Van Sant learned.
"As an American, when I think of cults in the United States I think of the Branch Davidians. The Waco situation. I think of Charles Manson," Van Sant said. "I think of just a handful of groups, 'cause those are the ones I've really heard of. You're telling me there's much more than that?"
"Certainly. And of course you haven't heard of them, and neither have I, for that matter, I don't keep track of all cults," Eichel replied. "Cultic groups tend to try very hard to remain secretive. They don't want a lot of notoriety or negative attention."
So what constitutes a cult?
Eichel lists several factors:
- "Beware of any kind of pressure. That's probably the single most important advice I can give anyone. Any kind of pressure to make a quick decision about becoming involved in any intensive kind of activity or organization."
- "Be wary of any leader who proclaims him or herself as having special powers or special insight. And, of course, divinity."
- "The group is closed, so in other words, although there may be outside followers, there's usually an inner circle that follows the leader without question, and that maintains a tremendous amount of secrecy."
- "The group uses deceptive means, typically, to recruit new members, and then once recruited will subject its members to an organized program of thought reform, or what most people refer to as brainwashing."
- "Typically cults also exploit their members....mostly financially. Within the group, they'll exploit members financially, psychologically, emotionally, and all too often, sexually."
- "A very important aspect of a cult is the idea that if you leave the cult, horrible things will happen to you. This is important, and it's important to realize. That people outside of a cult are potential members, so they're not looked upon as negatively as people inside the cult who then leave the cult."
Written by "48 Hours" producer Paul LaRosa. Watch "48 Hours:" The Family: A Cult Revealed"
http:www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-identify-a-cult-six-expert-tips/
Ibrahim Jaffe was my sister birgit`s husband - she died at stomach cancer in 2002 - he tried one day before my sister died to get 35000$ for his wonder medicine from our father - i probably know him better than everybody else - he uses my sister to get a lot of money from our father - HANDS OF FROM THIS CHARLATAN - he sells imaginary visions for a lot of money - THATS ALL HE CAN SOS
ReplyDeleteI am guessing you are Ingrid Deitjen? I did some googling and found your name so please don't get freaked out:
Deletehttp://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/obituaries/birgit-jaffe/article_916977d6-d08e-5204-ada5-15283a647a57.html
Would really like to know more about these people since they have now tapped into the mainstream Muslim community and all this raises a lot of concerns.
I'm a former follower of Ash-Shadhiliyya under Sidi Muhammad. I was in it from 2000-2010.
ReplyDeleteThey totally love-bomb you in the beginning. Right away you have to buy Sidi's book and copy it by hand. You have to swear that Sidi is your father from now on and that you will spread peace and mercy.
Then the money grubbing starts. Books, CDs, retreats. All along my mental health was declining. Constantly reading and chanting Sidi's formulas made me actually feel like I was having a mystical experience, like there were no coincidences and that Sidi was sending us messages in ordinary events. When we were on retreat in MD, Sidi slaughtered a goat so we could make stew. He made a mistake and cut it wrong, so it was hard to watch and he had to cut its throat again. People were walking around saying that it was intentional; that Sidi was sending the fuqara a message about our lack of faith.
Like many on this thread, I was offered a wife by Sidi. She was a total lunatic! She and Sidi wanted us to get married within days of meeting. Fortunately it was a holiday weekend and we couldn't get a license! We had a ceremony but it wasn't legal.
This group is about MONEY. Every 5 minutes they need a check- even people that were sick had to pay for his prayers. If he prayed for us as a group, only those that wrote big checks ($200 and up) were allowed to put their hands on him during the prayer. They charge hundreds for the retreat- but that's just for the hotel. You are supposed to pay for food, a ride to the farm, class materials, etc. Also give a donation to Sidi. Also give him a sacrifice check (he allegedly would buy a ram and slaughter it in Palestine for you).
Sidi sells you a lot of unproven mystical bullshit and if you buy into it, then you'll believe anything and they then start to pull your puppet strings. Jaffee convinces us that we're sick and we hear it so much I actually began to feel like I had a sore throat and sore muscles!
I left the cult when a friend of mine gave me a book on Roman philosophy and NONE of my beliefs passed the logic test. My "marriage " had long ago fallen apart and the chick was on her 3rd arraigned husband.
No one tried to stop me from leaving or asked me why. But they still continued to send donation envelopes for years.
I was involved in this group from about 2010 to 2017. I can attest to the money grubbing. What was the straw that broke the camel’s back?
DeleteAll what I can say is, I hope karma with get all of the people that are involved in this scam.
ReplyDeleteI spend $250 for each 30 minutes sessions, all what he did was talk gibberish for 15 min.
He takes advantage of sick peoples.
This person is nothing but a scammer. They are using the religion to make money. I pray to God that God will fill their body with disease.
Please people don’t get fooled by dr.Jaffe
There’s a lot to say about all that group I was with them for a while, they disrespect me after they took my money , and they wanted more and more and more.
If I had just read the reviews before, but I didn’t, so it’s my loss.
If you need healing just ask God, he’s with you and is free.
To me, the most ironic part is that this is NOT a Spiritual Path at all. It's mostly an invitation to confirm to a turgid collection of platitudes. And a few parlor tricks. Like the 'Majlis'. Don't know what the Majlis is? Not surprising. It got dropped from the curriculum. Probably because it was just too non-Islamic to enjoy widespread exposure, althought it was a very interesting method of communicating with the Jinn and Angelic Realms. By virtue of what would make any Western Spiritualist giddy with excitement!
ReplyDeleteMorevoer, it actually is destructice of the true spiritual impulse in people.
For many reassons, people seek God or a HIgher reason to live. In the case of this Order, one passes on the challenge to have a Spiritual Life in order to become a Worshipper of Another Man who has a spiritual life.
In other words...SHIRK. Shirk, defined as 'assigning Partners to God' could be applied to anyone who takes a Sufi Guide, regular Islamic Imam, or other Charasmatic Personality as God or a spokesperson for God. Rather than developing their own relationship with God, many Americans and Europeans equsted the adoption of everything from adopting different ways of dress and diet and hoping thewse changes will ammount to a personality change of sufficient strenght to permit a sort of spiritual rebirth.
It is to be noted that nobody has ever done anything bad enough to be ejected from Sidi's fuqara. Nor are any of the techniques promoted by Sidi ad nhis followers sufficient enough to make independent Spiritual Adherants of them. There is no 'Path' for the followers because there was never a Path for the Guide. His history, his foibles, the story of how he changed, all that is hidden. Somehow He, unlike us, gets to tell US what the Patriarchal, anthromorphised God he claims to represent wants of us. How is that liberating and not enslaving? If the Spiritual Life is mainly about imitating the Guide. How is that freedom?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was drawn into this group by a trusted friend at a vulnerable time of transition in my life. The whole coercion of someone declaring they are your spiritual father is deeply manipulative. I was involved from 2004-2012.
ReplyDeleteMy interest in theology gave me the autonomy to participate from an academic perspective but I always found the leadership to be disingenuous. I saw psychological and spiritual abuse and unfortunately my daughter's safety was compromised.
She has not recovered from the ptsd she encountered and when we called Sidi and his helper about life being threatened by someone from his group, they both laughed.
I experienced years of trauma bonding with him because he convinced me he was my "father". So sad that these narcissistic abusers would target sincere seekers who have histories of trauma from childhood.
His inner circle were fully aware of his transgressions and I can say I witnessed them looking brainwashed at times.
Hurts my heart to think the beautiful teachings of Tasawwuf (purification of the heart) were used to gain money sex and power over emotionally orphaned Americans.
Money is never suppose to be asked for if a person wants to learn about the deepest truth of the Quran.
Charity is only required if the student is consciously willing and able.
Compulsion is never allowed in Islam.