SPIEGEL ONLINE - June 22, 2006, 04:43 PM
URL:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,422970,00.html
SCIENTOLOGY IN GERMANY
Suspicious Tutoring
By Guido Kleinhubbert
Scientologists are taking advantage of Germany's education problems for their own ends: They are luring weak students by providing after-school tutoring. Education authorities in Germany are on alert.
The church of Scientology in Hamburg
Matthias Krug / DER SPIEGEL
The church of Scientology in Hamburg
The ad on a supermarket notice board in the city of Essen was aimed at all the parents in the neighborhood. Right nearby there was an "alternative school" where learning was still fun. "Sounds just right", thought one dad, who is now reluctant to give his name out of sheer fear. He took down the phone number of the school and that same evening arranged some after-school tutoring for his daughter.
At first it seemed as though the new teacher was a really good find. However, the motherly woman then started to ask his daughter personal questions about friends and family, and referred the girl, who had just turned 18, to a colleague for "life coaching" and then, despite the fact that the girl was now doing well in school, recommended that she come three times a week instead of just once. This all seemed suspicious to the girl's father. Was this really just about ironing out a few problems in reading and writing?
Spurred on by growing doubts, he called Sabine Riede at Essen's 'Sect Info' advice center. The center was well acquainted with the teacher and her colleagues, who the center views as high-ranking Scientologists.
German experts on sects are now warning that the organization, which spans the globe, is currently making a big effort to infiltrate the German education market. Even the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has noticed these activities: At the recent presentation of the Constitution Report for 2005, Scientology was mentioned as establishing itself very conspicuously in "youth work."
More...
Scientology v. Wog World 
