Jeff Jacobsen

Free governments and human rights organizations world-over have decried China’s efforts to destroy the religious movement Falun Gong through imprisonment and torture. Yet Jeff Jacobsen promotes and recommends such cruelty as a “solution” to religions he disagrees with.

Jacobsen’s posting to an anti-religious newsgroup, on August 5, 2001, reads as follows:

“htpp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ A33055-2001Aug4.html is an article on how China is trying to eradicate Falun Gong by torture and brainwashing. At least China tries to force wayward citizens back into the fold.”

These “wayward citizens” that Jacobsen refers to, tens of millions according to the article, are described quite differently by the Washington Post:

“Two years ago, the Chinese government outlawed Falun Gong, a nonviolent movement that mixes Buddhist beliefs with slow-motion martial-art-type exercises, and denounced the group as an evil cult and a threat to society. But the underlying reason for the crackdown is the leadership’s view that Falun Gong is an independent organization that threatens the Communist Party’s monopoly on power….”

The methods of force that Jacobsen recommends in his newsgroup posting are as follows:

“In recent interviews, the sources and practitioners described for the first time in detail the methodical efforts being used to eradicate the Falun Gong movement, efforts that the Chinese call “reeducation.” They told of believers being beaten, shocked with electric truncheons and forced to undergo unbearable physical pressure, such as squatting on the floor for days at a time. Many adherents are also sent to intensive classes where the teachings of Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi are picked apart by former believers, sometimes friends who have already been tortured into submission.

” ‘I am a broken man,’ said James Ouyang, 35, an electrical engineer who was forced by labor camp guards to stand facing a wall for nine days and then sent to a brainwashing class for 20 more. ‘I have rejected Falun Gong. . . . Now, whenever I see a policeman and those electric truncheons, I feel sick, ready to throw up.’ “

From: Torture Is Breaking Falun Gong; China Systematically Eradicating Group
By John Pomfret and Philip P. Pan
The Washington Post, August 5, 2001.

The influence of inflammatory statements like Jacobsen’s are documented on the section of this site entitled “The Influence of Hate“. That Jacobsen would advocate the use of inhuman methods to oppress religious people comes as no surprise, considering his history.

After leaving the Pentecostal Church, Jeff Jacobsen became the Arizona contact for the old Cult Awareness Network (since reorganized and now under benevolent management).

Jacobsen presents himself as an “expert” on religion; his expertise, however, manifests itself in attacks on religious groups and their parishioners. Jacobsen has labeled several Phoenix churches, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as “cults,” protesting their tax exempt status.

Jacobsen regularly associates with convicted criminals. Among his close friends are Keith Henson, convicted hate criminal, Rick Ross, a failed jewel thief and kidnapper, and Steven Fishman, who tried to blame his financial crimes on a minority religion but failed and was convicted.

Jacobsen was working for his father at the time Jacobsen Sr. was convicted of tax evasion in connection with the family business. Jacobsen was also formerly employed by a psychiatric hospital where patients were forcibly restrained and drugged.

For many years a band of anti-religious extremists, led by Jeff Jacobsen, have waged a hate campaign against Scientology which Jacobsen justifies by claiming it is conducted using the methods of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi). These hate mongers cloak themselves in the rhetoric of non-violence while instigating violence against Scientology parishioners and ministers, apparently in an effort to bait them into some form of retaliation.

Jacobsen’s use of the term “Gandhi Tech,” to describe his methods is hypocritical in the extreme. There is nothing peaceful about Jacobsen’s intent or the methods used by the hate-mongers who follow him. They routinely conduct hate marches in front of Church buildings designed to intimidate parishioners from entering. They take photographs and make video tapes of staff and parishioners, stalking them as they arrive at and leave their church. They take down license plate numbers and generally make as much noise as possible in an attempt to disrupt services. They also conduct such activities at the residences of ministers, parishioners and staff, in addition to sending them hate mail that attempts to slander their religion.

Several of these individuals have threatened, fired upon, and/or physically assaulted Scientology parishioners. As a result, temporary restraining orders have been issued against certain of these extremists. To show just how intent these people are on inciting hatred against Scientology, they also wear a T-shirt that portrays dripping blood along with words that insult the religion. Many Scientology families have children, and this is what those children are forced to see when they attend church with their parents.

Scientology is not the only target of this group of extremists. Through an internet newsgroup and individual websites they malign and incite hatred against people of many different religions – Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to name a few. Some of these extremists promote the eradication of all religion and the genocide of all religious people. Their violent rhetoric has directly influenced people who have read their websites to commit acts of violence. Scientology ministers and parishioners have had their lives threatened, Church buildings in the U.S. and Europe have been desecrated, and bombs have been left on Church doorsteps.

These anti-religious extremists are invoking the name of Mahatma Gandhi in an attempt to position themselves as pacifists, when, in truth, they are engaged in a crusade of violence. It is a lie that perverts for their own purposes the name of a great man.

Religious Freedom Watch is working with law enforcement to protect our children, ourselves and our God-given right to freedom of thought and worship. We also work with other religious groups to educate the public on the true intentions and actual activities of these hate mongers so that others will not succumb to their lies. We believe that education is the best defense against hatred, and tolerance the only solution. This is why Scientologists do not react to these hate marches and provocations, but instead document Jacobsen’s activities of harassment, stalking and threats and report him and his cohorts to law enforcement. Others subject to his intolerant activities are encouraged to do the same.

[imgleft]http://www.religiousfreedomwatch.org/extremists/images/jacobsen05.jpg[/imgleft]Jacobsen covers up his hate campaign behind a very religious and peaceful man, Mahatma Ghandi. This photo shows Jacobsen holding a banner, which promotes a website containing several death threats addressed to members of the Scientology religion.

Jacobsen supports violence, most of the hate-marches he has organized against members of the Scientology religion are designed to stalk the parishioners of the Church, take their license plates, video-taping them coming in and out of the Church, photographing them and posting their photographs on the Internet and numerous other forms of hatred spread by Jacobsen and his hate-monger group.

Jacobsen has no respect of the First Amendment or for Scientologists and he has harassed them for years. He claims that he is exercising his free speech right yet he does everything he can to smear the Scientology religion, making fun of the Scientology religious practices and many other things.