alt_religion_scientology/FACTNetARS20011204

December 3, 2001

John Walker: American Indoctrinated with Cult Mind Control Techniques by
Taliban

Al Queda terrorists and Taliban soldiers, including American John Walker
probably underwent a thorough cult mind control indoctrination, according to
a leading cult expert."Terrorist cult organizations apparently employ many
of the same mind control techniques used by destructive cult groups," says
Steven Hassan, director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center in
Somerville, Massachusetts. "These include isolation, hypnosis, sleep
deprivation, dietary manipulation and the programming of phobias in the
minds of members." He needs to be properly counseled and can probably be a
tremendous resource in the war against terrorism.

Zacarias Moussaoui, the would-be hijacker now jailed in New York, is a
living example of that mindset. In a London Times story, his brother stated
that Moussaoui went through a radical personality change of the sort that is
often observed in members of destructive cults. "He was brainwashed," said
his mother.

Tonight on Larry King Live, John Walker¹s father said, "He had no idea that
John had become involved with the Taliban and hadn¹t heard from his son
since May.

"Counseling former members of terrorist groups is an important first step to
asking them for their help," said Hassan. "The more ex-terrorists that can
be counseled and recruited to help, the more effective the antiterrorist
campaign will be to teach them about cults and mind control. We need to show them how to
evaluate what they have been through. We need to bring in Islamic scholars,
and show them how the Koran has been twisted and misinterpreted by their
leaders."

Hassan, who has been counseling cult members for 25 years, has helped
thousands of people who have been mind controlled using innovative methods
(see freedomofmind.com). In 1995, 60 Minutes flew Hassan to Tokyo to be
their expert on the Aum Shinrikyo cult sarin gas terrorist incident. A
high-ranking cult member in the 1970¹s, Hassan was so heavily influenced by
mind control techniques that he was prepared to give his life for the group.
"When I was in the group, I was trained to obey my superiors without
hesitation, including being willing to die or even kill," says Hassan,
author of Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves. "I
understand the mindset."

Such methods might be applied not just to jailed terrorists but to the
people of countries where terrorists have held sway them out of terrorist groups, and out of their America-is-evil mindset.
"Giving food and aid to the cult recruits will not undo mind control
programming, though it is good start," Hassan said. He believes that a
massive education program needs to be launched. "Islamic religious leaders
need to communicate to these people that what they have been taught is
actually against the Koran," he said. "Former members of destructive cults
could come forward and talk about the techniques that were used to brainwash
them."

The methods could also be used for dealing with terrorists in this country,
the anonymous few capable of inflicting so much damage. "As a nation, we
need to have a higher sense of community," said Hassan. "We should be using
our knowledge of mind control psychology to undermine the control and power
of the people on top of the pyramid of this and other terrorist
organizations," he says.

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Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves
is now available. You can order the book securely from our web site
or in the U.S. call 1 800-860-2139.

Steven Hassan M.Ed LMHC hassan@freedomofmind.com

Freedom of Mind Resource Center, Inc.
Steven Hassan M.Ed LMHC
PO Box 45223 Somerville, Massachusetts 02145
Tel: 617 628-9918 Fax: 617 628-8153
www.freedomofmind.com center@freedomofmind.com
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