‘Cult risk could spread like drugs’

THE Justice Ministry warned yesterday the problem of cults could become as widespread as drug use if not carefully monitored.

Speaking during the opening of a seminar on cults aiming to train civil servants and police officers to deal with the problem, Ministry director Lazaros Savvides said: “Today these organisations operate under many facades, disguising themselves as religions or philosophies or companies or even charities.

“In reality they are movements that use personality and moral suppression techniques. This forces the state to take the brunt of facing the problem and protecting the public from all dependencies, whatever they may be.”

Savvides added: “It would not be an exaggeration to say that if we neglect this issue, we are in danger of having the problem we had with drugs.”

He said the authorities had no intention of preventing people from enjoying full religious freedom, “which is clearly stated in both Cyprus’ Constitution and the European Convention for Human Rights,” but would fight to protect public order, morals and personal rights.

Justice Minister Nicos Koshis said both local and international experts would be addressing the seminar, quoting one of the speakers Alain Vivien: “The work we are undertaking together is huge, and our enemies often act in dishonourable ways. But today human freedom is under threat. Today’s fight is added to the long list of older fights for freedom of thought, conviction and freedom against new, even more catastrophic forms of darkness, since their goals are concealed behind the respectable face of religious beliefs.”

Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides said an investigation carried out at high schools showed that 20 per cent of the students had come into contact with cults in one way or another.

But he clarified that this percentage included children who had merely read about the occult or seen movies about the subject and that school guidance services had so far been able to handle the problem.

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