The LINK between OBSESSION and CRIMINALITY
as demonstrated by members of a group opposed to the work of peace advocate,
Prem Rawat.
Court rules against hate group participant.
The latest in a string of guilty verdicts, on October 24 2007 at the Supreme Court in Brisbane Australia, Tom Gubler, was convicted on three counts of contempt of court. He appeared later for sentencing and received a suspended jail term.
Gubler is a Gold Coast resident member of a group opposed to the work of peace advocate, Prem Rawat (Maharaji). The group has an active membership of around 15 or 16 people worldwide.
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The court noted that Gubler had entered his former wife's apartment while she was out, and downloaded files from her computer without her knowledge or consent. The court had previously ordered Gubler to comply with conditions aimed at curbing his harassment of Elan Vital, an organization which arranges speaking engagements for Mr Rawat. Gubler's ex-wife has voluntarily assisted Elan Vital for more than 20 years.
In 2002, a former member of the group, Neville Ackland, attempted to disrupt one of Rawat's events at Ivory's Rock Conference Center, Ipswich Australia. Soon after, he was arrested for possession of $2.5 million worth of marijuana and unlicensed firearms. Then, on March 1, 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that journalist, John Macgregor, was in violation of the law when he conspired with Tom Gubler to steal proprietary computer files from the computers of a non-profit organization, Elan Vital, and then distributed those files to an internet web site run by the group. The court ruled against Macgregor on summary judgment, meaning that the record of Macgregor's unlawful acts was so strong that there was no need for the matter to go to a full trial. Macgregor was also ordered to pay the costs of the action, which were estimated to top $100,000.
In April 2005, in an expression of remorse, Macgregor apologized for his actions, and stated, "These people maintain a series of internet web pages and chat rooms a goal of which is to create an atmosphere of ill will and malice towards Rawat and his students. ... The goals of the 'ex-premie' group are often obsessive, malicious and destructive in nature. The ex-premie group, through the use of the internet interferes with the rights of people to experience their own spiritual discovery and for the purpose of harassing individuals who are students of Rawat.... The ex-premie group's actions have included the contacting of employers of students of Prem Rawat, letters to regulartory agencies and the media with usupported allegations and rabid personal attacks on the character of individuals. Further instances include... The publication of entirely false stories of a defamatory nature on the internet and encouraging media to report these fabrications as fact."
Historically, prominent voices for peace have been targets of violent reactions. Gandhi and Martin Luther King were assassinated. Even Mother Teresa was attacked by a British journalist as a "self-serving egotist" engaged in money laundering. When critics employ unethical and unlawful activities to achieve hateful ends, it suggests a degree of anti-social behavior that goes far beyond acceptable boundaries.
Members of this group have posted thousands of pages of criticism about Prem Rawat on the Internet. They exhibit behavior that psychologists diagnose as obsessive/compulsive disorder. See Time To Log Off: New Diagnostic Criteria For Problematic Internet Use, Dawn Heron, MD, University of Florida, Gainesville, published in Current Psychology, April 2003, (identifying incessant posting in chat rooms as emotional disorder).
Prem Rawat, an Indian born teacher, first traveled to the United States as a teenager in the early 1970s and has for many years traveled the world speaking about inner peace. He is also known by the Indian title, Maharaji. He teaches, free of charge, practical methods by which any sincere person can discover peace and fulfillment within themselves. U.S. academic, J. Gordon Melton, has described the evolution of Rawat's teaching. In 1982 he abandoned the trappings of Indian culture and dissolved his own support base. A new organization was established and he began taking his message into mainstream society. He has received numerous awards and international recognition for his humanitarian efforts and inspirational TV broadcasts. Detailed information is available in new biography "Peace is Possible" by Andrea Cagan available at Amazon. (Sourced from an Indymedia article, checked for accuracy and edited for brevity.)