Scientology pickets Professor Stephen A. Kent at University of Alberta
September 11, 1997

by anonymous

The crowded sidewalk in front of the University of Alberta's athletic facility in Edmonton, Alberta, during registration week provided an opportunity for Scientology to picket a University professor.

In the early afternoon on Wednesday, September 3, 1997, 4 or 5 Scientologists protested against the work and activities of Professor Stephen A. Kent. Two people carried placards calling Dr. Kent's ("anti-Scientology" and "intolerant") scholarship into question. They repeated their picket on Monday, September 8th, until Campus Security sent them packing. They had not received permission from the appropriate campus officials to hold their event.

At the September 3rd "event," one mature woman among the group (possibly Reverend Yvette Shank) tried to pass out leaflets to passersby. Amid the hustle and bustle of the pedestrian traffic winding its way past the booths advertising the varied campus associations, not many people extended their hands to receive yet another piece of paper from yet another leaflet-passing person. Moreover, even fewer paused in their rush in order to diminish the risk of being accosted by the marching Scientologists.

This person, however, backtracked through the crowd to pick up a leaflet when the realization struck that this was a Scientology picket against Kent--and most probably an illegal picket operating outside the awareness and approval of Campus Security.

The following is a verbatim transcription of the leaflet that the picketers were passing out. (I made all attempts to input as accurately as possible from the text of the leaflet--any errors are mine. Hardcopy of the original soon will be circulating). I have added comments at the end about various sections of the text, and have identified the pertinent sections by adding numbers in square brackets [ ] that, of course, were not in the original.

Scientologists Protest Harassment by U of A Professor

Edmonton Scientologists picketed the University of Alberta this afternoon, protesting the outrageous and malicious comments of Stephen Kent, an associate professor [1] at the university, who has been to Germany twice recently,[2] inciting government intolerance against German members of the Scientology religion. [3] The U.S. government [4], the British House of Lords,[5] Helsinki Watch,[6] and the Human Rights Centre of Essex University in England [7] have all issued reports citing the German government for human rights abuses against Scientologists [8].

"It is positively appalling that a professor from Canada much less the University of Alberta should go to Germany and pour gasoline on an already inflamed situation with his paranoia and poor research," [9] stated Reverend Yvette Shank of the Church of Scientology of Edmonton. "Kent has not been in a Church of Scientology since 1988 and has refused for years to meet with Church representatives."[10]

German intolerance against minority religions has exploded in recent years. Earlier this year the Essex University Human Rights Centre issued a report entitled Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report. The report is highly critical of German government treatment of Scientologists in particular. "In Germany, democracy is used as an ideology to impose conformity. It has been dismaying to discover that the state, and some of its politicians and people, are using what are well-worn paths of discrimination and intolerance and of inciting intolerance towards a new religious minority, the Scientologists...the [German] authorities condone and actively support discrimination against Scientologists from economic life and reducing the social and financial support for members and their families which comes from earning income or engaging in business...self-declarations and dissociations are part of the intolerance."

A British House of Lords fact-finding committee [11] discovered that the German government is spending $65 million annually to fund religious discrimination against minority faiths and were "completely unprepared for the sheer scale of prejudice, discrimination and even persecution" against them. The committee was disturbed by their interviews with German officials--"from the officials we met we received the inescapable feeling that we were being told either Hitler got it wrong in the way he dealt with sects but we have not and we are setting about it in a strictly legal way', or that Hitler was right about sects but he did not finish the job.' Either way the implications of the mind set are chilling."

Kent was at an anti-Scientology conference in Bonn yesterday [12] and was the only North American representative [13]. In July, Kent made comments to the Globe and Mail that Scientology was a "threat to democracy" which church members call insane and ludicrous [14]. In a letter to University President Dr. Rod Fraser, Reverend Shank calls Kent's views "unscholarly, dangerous and promot[ing of] hatred." She has asked Dr. Fraser to review the situation as Kent is an "embarrassment to the University of Alberta and to Canada."

"Stephen Kent appears to be to Scientology, what Ernst Zundel and Jim Kiegstra [15] are to the Holocaust. He should not be using his position as an academic to promote his intolerance and hatred," concluded Reverend Shank.

End of leaflet.

Now, here's the midrash/deconstruction of this rant:

[1] The University of Alberta promoted Dr. Kent to Full Professor on July 1, 1997. This process involved three written reviews of his entire academic vitae by respected Professors in his area of expertise; a letter of endorsement by his department's Chair; plus a vote by all of the department Chairs and faculty representatives at a meeting of the Faculty Evalaution Committee. The Committe consists of ten members elected by the Arts Faculty Council, fourteen department chairs, two Associate Deans (who do not vote), plus the Dean. Consequently, almost thirty or so of his peers were involved in the process. On another matter, one of Kent's former students reported that picketers were busy against him on campus on Tuesday, September 2, but I cannot confirm this claim with anyone else yet.

[2] His first visit to Germany this summer took place in late June, where he presented a paper to a large audience (probably over 500 people) at the German Kirchentag, which is a bi-annual, week long celebration of worship and information of the Lutheran Church. On June 20th, he spoke (through translation) on the topic: "Wer halt denn das fur Religion? Zur 'wissenschaftlichen' Begundung der Religionseigenschaft der Scientology-Organization," which translates something like, "What Has This to Do Witth Religion? The Academic Foundation of the Religious Characteristics of the Scientology Organization." One of the reasons that Scientology must try to silence him is that he spoke about almost certain human rights abuses associated with the RPF. On June 21st he was a panelist on a panel about "Is Europe Intolerant? The Dispute over Religious Freedom" (Ist Europa intolerant? Der Streit um die Religionsfreiheit." He shared the panel with a German Lutheran Church official, a German politician (noted Scientology opponent Dr. Guenther Beckstein of Bavaria); a retired French professor, a Russian professor; a Bulgarian professor; and a German professor. He mentioned the way in which the internet is transforming the debate about Scientology.

[3] Scientology is NOT a religion in Germany!! Nor did this hand-out specify HOW Kent was "inciting government intolerance against German members of the Scientology religion." At least in the text from which he delivered his talk on the 20th, he said: "One of the tragedies in this debate is that normal Scientologists will feel persecuted and threatened. These people likely know nothing about RPF conditions, and they genuinely feel that Scientology involvement has benefitted them. The organization to which they belong, however, appears to be committing serious human rights abuses" (pp. 39-40). That certainly does not sound like inflammatory language!

[4] Yes--the U.S. State Department did begin criticizing Germany on Scientology issues (mostly as they related to Americans) in 1993, and Kent discussed this issue in his most recent talk (in August, which will be discussed below]. For some of his background facts, he seems to have relied upon the March 9, 1997 New York Times article by Douglas Frantz, about the peculiar circumstances of the American IRS's decision, as well as relevant State Department reports and briefings. He also mentioned problems with both the IRS's and the State Department's positions.

[5] The British House of Lords did not critisize Germany's human rights record in Germany. An "Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Discrimination Against Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Germany" did, BUT IT WAS NOT AN OFFICIAL HOUSE OF LORDS COMMITTEE AND IT WAS HEADED BY LORD McNAIR--A SELF-IDENTIFIED SCIENTOLOGIST! See the article on the internet entitled, "Alarmed by Intolerance," which is an edited version of a FREEDOM magazine article (published by Scientology) in 1997.

[6] I did not have access to this report, but it almost certainly does not discuss the issues that Kent did--the Rehabilitation Project Force (which Kent kept calling a "forced labour and re-indoctrination program or camp"), security checking, and treatment of children. Does anyone have it?

[7] I do not have access to this report, but the comments for #6 also hold true here. Again, does anyone have it? We should not take Scientology's word that these reports discuss human rights abuses in relation to that organization.

[8] By no means is it certain that Scientologists are suffering human rights abuses. Scientologists can believe anything that they want--no government official is interfering with BELIEF. Officials remain opposed, however, to claims that the organization is both religious and deserving of societal concessions and recognition. It appears that at least some Scientologists' allegations about having suffered human rights abuses are greatly overblown.

[9] Poor research? Well, give us some. SHOW us examples of his poor research. And paranoia? Where does that come from? If he was paranoid about being attacked by Scientology, he would not have given these talks!!

[10] No. Al Buttnor, who recently has received some attention on this news group, contacted Kent about a meeting in May, 1994. (The two of them had met previously.) Kent tried to reach Buttnor by telephone three times, but failed, so he wrote Buttnor a letter asking him to send a letter instead in which he (Buttnor) could express his concerns. Kent was rushing off to present an academic paper at a conference(ironically, in Germany), and he had not finished writing the paper. As far as I know, that was the last time that any Scientology official contacted Kent about a meeting. In previous years, Kent had visited Scientology organizations in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Los Angeles, and even visited Heber Jentzsch in his L.A. office!! He also attended a Sea Org meeting in his home city of Edmonton, Alberta, AND attended a big Scientology celebration in Toronto.

A few weeks ago (in mid-August), Kent ran into Buttnor at an academic conference in Toronto, which was immediately after the two of them had been on the radio show in Victoria, British Columbia (CJVI AM, hosted by Howie Segal and also involving Martin Hunt and Gregg Hagglund, which got heavy newsgroup exposure). Kent approached Buttnor and told him that, at least from his perspective, the radio show had not been a set-up, since he (Kent) did not even know that others were going to be on the show with him until he read it on the 'net that morning. Well, Buttnor clearly did not want to have a conversation with Kent! Looks like the "meeting with Church representatives" issue is more complicated than Scientology portrays it (typically).

[11] On this supposed "British House of Lords fact-finding committee, see note 5 (above). Apparently two lords were on the "ad hoc committee"--McNair and Hylton; along with Professor Anthony Flew, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Reading University; Dr. Dennis O'Keefe, senior lecturer in the Sociology of Education at the University of North London;

and David Rosser-Gwen, who writes and lectures on religious affairs (whatever that means). Does anyone have info on these people?

[12] The conference at which Kent spoke in Bonn, Germany, on September 1st was a short but high-profile panel on "How to Deal with Scientology? An International Perspective." He spoke about "Scientology in the United States" and "Scientology in Canada." His U.S. part of the talk discussed the IRS decision and what it revealed about the Scientology organization; the implications for the U.S. State Department; the civil litigation involving allegedly posting secret doctrines and the subsequent debates about expired copyrights and trade secrets, serious questions about Hubbard's death, and Lawrence Wollersheim's efforts to collect his money. He ended by (once again) mentioning the RPF. In his briefer Canadian talk he highlighted the breach of trust conviction of the Church of Scientology of Toronto, and the Casey Hill libel decision.

[13] Yes, he was the only North American representative at the conference, BUT IT WAS IN GERMANY!! He shared the panel with one German federal politician, one state politician, a German law professor, a former British politician who had worked on Scientology immigration issues, a Dutch professor, and a Greek professor. There was no need for more than one North American! Someone from the Canadian embassy, however, did attend, as did someone from the American embassy. This Bonn conference was sponsored by the prestigious Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which (according to its home page) "offers political education, conducts scientific fact-finding research for political projects, grants scholarships to gifted individuals, researches the history of Christian Democracy, and supports and encourages European unification, international understanding, and development-policy cooperation. Our annual budget amounts to around DM 200 million. We account publicly for our expenditures, and careful management of our funds is scrutinized by Federal and Land ministries, courts of audit, and fiscal authorities." Match that accountability, Scientology!!

[14] The article to which the pamphlet refers is: Alan Freeman, "Germany Presses Case Against Scientologists," GLOBE AND MAIL [Canada's national paper], (July 17, 1997): A1, A8. He was quoted as saying, "But Stephen Kent, a University of Alberta sociologist who has long studied Scientology, believes it is a totalitarian organization that should be feared by all democracies, including Germany, because of its alleged use of forced labour and indoctrination programs. 'The overall issue of Scientology's threat to the democratic state is certainly worthy of investigation.'" Mr. Kent was recently in Berlin to address a seminar on Scientology organized by a Social Democratic member of Parliament who is a harsh critic of the group." [Well, close: Kent was the focus of a news conference called by Ms. Renate Rennebach, a member of Parliament from the Social Democratic Party.] Kent's discussion of the RPF was carried in at least ten newspapers around the country, plus radio and television.

[15] Jim Keegstra (note the correct spelling) and Ernst Zundel are notorious Canadian anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers. Keegstra was a high school teacher in the same province as Kent's University, so it looks like Scientology was trying to play on a "teacher" analogy here. Obviously Scientology does not realize that Kent worked directly with the Crown prosecutor and the RCMP on the Keegstra trial, which eventually led to the former school teacher's conviction!

Well, typically, Scientology attempts to "dead agent" someone who speaks truthfully and thoughtfully by combining half-truths, unsupported allegations, distorted facts, and character assasination. The University adminstration did receive a Scientology protest letter against him, but apparently Kent has not yet seen the University's response to it.