Raelian Movement Critic Silenced

Raelian Movement Critic Silenced

LAS VEGAS, May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is issued by The United States Raelian Movement:

One of the Raelian Movement's most outspoken U.S. critics, Joseph McGowen, has just settled out of court for undisclosed damages, which include a non-disparagement order that he may never speak about the Raelian Movement again.

McGowen was the partner of Abdullah Hashem, the Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) film student who made a documentary about the Movement after infiltrating an annual seminar in Las Vegas in 2005.

The Raelian Movement filed federal racketeering charges against Hashem and McGowen following years of alleged lies and totally unfounded criticism.

"We very much support people's rights to their opinions -- but we'll never tolerate lies, or spreading or repeating false rumors about us," said Ricky Roehr, the Movement's North American president. "When McGowen was welcomed at our seminar, he signed an agreement stating that all film footage recorded during the seminar belonged to the Movement. Despite this agreement, he not only tried to use and sell the footage but told the media many untrue, hurtful things about Rael, the Movement and its members. As a result, he was eventually sued in federal court and settled with us after admitting he really knew nothing about us. If he speaks ill about the Raelian Movement or its members again in the future, there will be severe consequences under the terms of the settlement. This should be an abject lesson about the dangers of irresponsible journalism."

Roehr added, "After claiming to be working on an objective documentary about the Movement, Hashem and McGowen either fabricated or grossly exaggerated our position on almost every issue in most of their interviews from the seminar they were invited to.

They then tried to sell our film footage for $1 million, and when no one bought it, they debuted the film at IUPUI to generate attention and attract investors. So-called 'journalists' like these have damaged the lives and reputations of many people, religions and races throughout history. We will always not only denounce such efforts but defend ourselves against them to the full extent of the law."

McGowen's settlement follows only days after a Canadian court ruled harshly against other journalists who claimed to have infiltrated a Raelian seminar in Canada in 2003.

Hearings concerning Hashem will resume June 26 in a California Federal Court.

Source: The United States Raelian Movement

CONTACT: Panteha Naghi, The United States Raelian Movement,
+1-702-513-2387, usa@raelpress.org

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