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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 7 months

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Moonie connections: Bad teaching, 12,000 euros tuition fee: This is how a Berlin institute treats their student

▲ Sahra Wagenknecht (left) spoke at an ICD event, Dirk Niebel (2nd from left) sat on the ICD advisory board until May. The institute, directed by Mark Donfried (right), has connections to the Moon sect, known for its mass marriages through Hak Ja Han aka “Mother Moon" (2nd from right)

Machine translation to English:

Bad teaching, 12,000 euros tuition fee: This is how a Berlin institute treats their students

Students are bothered by the fact that they don't learn anything. The head of the institute also has hardly any scientific expertise – but he does have contacts with politicians and cult members.

by Sabrina Winter and Sascha Düerkop 27 October 2023

The conference room smells like a mixture of perfume, farts and cafeteria. On this February afternoon, the room is filled with students, interns, cult members and a few people who might be genuinely interested in the topic of the conference. The room is so full that people are crowded in the doorway. Because Bundestag member Sahra Wagenknecht (then part of Die Linke) is about to speak about the war in Ukraine. Controversial politicians are often guests here, but they are rarely as well-known as Wagenknecht.

Here, this is the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) in Berlin. It is a mixture of non-governmental organization, conference agency and university. And it is a meeting place for religious fanatics. Anyone who looks behind the scenes at the ICD quickly notices the institute appears to be just a facade. Behind it, a trio spins its network of criminals and politicians. To do this, it exploits young people and makes students pay a lot of money. Above all, it offers a space for a cult. At the conferences, cult members can recruit and talk to young people about peace, family, God and who knows what else. The institute denies that the sect is allowed to promote its teachings at the ICD conferences. But the cooperation is confirmed: "In our experience, the cooperation was successful."

Part 2 of this research:

Getting yelled at and living with raccoons: How a Berlin institute exploits interns

by Sabrina Winter and Sascha Düerkop 27 October 2023

We looked at the connections and companies behind this institute. And there are many. Untangling the tangle of hotels, real estate companies and clubs is not easy. The heads of the ICD maintained and maintain connections in all directions: to a Christian sect, an arms lobbyist and a Lebanese ex-government member who is being investigated for murder. We kept asking ourselves: What is the purpose of this strange braid? Those who do a master's degree at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy pay between 9,000 and 12,000 euros and then read Wikipedia articles instead of specialist magazines – that's what former students report. The ICD says that Wikipedia articles or YouTube videos are only used additionally in a few cases.

Those who live in the institute's dormitory have to deal with dirt, water dripping through the ceiling and raccoons digging through the trash. A student filmed the animals from a kitchen in the dormitory. "Oh God, look at how big this thing is," she says in the video as a raccoon sticks its snout into an empty can. “We believe that the situation is better now,” writes the institute in response to a VICE request.

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy can hardly be called a university. At least the ICD doesn't seem to act as if it values education. What the ICD still succeeds in is luring young people to Berlin with false promises. According to the institute, 30 students are currently enrolled. Many people start their studies with the hope of becoming part of something big, something important at the ICD. To be close to the powerful and influential who can be seen on the institute's website.

The sect with the coerced weddings Sahra Wagenknecht pushed herself through the thick air and behind the lectern. Cold light falls from louvre lamps from the ceiling. Wagenknecht speaks for an hour. She explains how irresponsible she finds it that German tanks shoot at Russians. Nobody contradicts her.

On the morning of this conference day, former Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück (SPD) gave a lecture. Hassan Diab is also there as a speaker. The ex-president of Lebanon was forced to resign because of the explosion in the port of Beirut. A murder trial is underway against him. Another speaker is Francois Fillon: once Prime Minister of France, now a convicted criminal. He had embezzled public funds and employed his own wife as a sham.

Former students report that they are sometimes pressured by parts of the ICD leadership to take part in the conferences. The ICD puts it this way: "We strongly recommend that students take part in the conferences, also because they are integrated into the curriculum."

VICE spoke to about a dozen people who attended the institute. They almost consistently describe the ICD as a dizziness, a waste of time, a place of horror. But neither they nor the politicians seem to have any idea what lies behind the facade.

There are people at the conferences whose name tags say Universal Peace Federation (UPF). The Universal Peace Federation is a Moon Sect front organization. This is an ultra-conservative, new religious “Christian” movement from South Korea. Many people know the Moon Sect through their mass weddings.

At the conference at which Wagenknecht speaks, at least 13 leading UPF members from all over Europe mingle with the guests, eat snacks and chat with other participants.

We sent Wagenknecht, Steinbrück and Diab questions about their connection to the ICD. For example, we wanted to know whether they knew about the ICD's contacts with cults. But none of them responded – despite our request.

The connection to the German Bundestag The institute gives the impression of being very close to international politics, world events and those in power. It advertises its courses and internships with its supposedly good connections in politics. And members of all parliamentary groups in the German Bundestag actually spoke at the conferences: Thomas Silberhorn (CSU), Frank Müller-Rosentritt (FDP), Cem Özdemir (Greens), Peter Bystron (AfD) are just a few names among many. These appearances help the ICD maintain a reputable appearance. When asked by VICE, Silberhorn, Müller-Rosentritt, Özdemir and Bystron said that they knew nothing about the cult connections or the students' frustrations. According to their own statements, they did not receive any money or gifts.

How the Moon Sect recruits From the Bundestag it is a 45-minute drive to Berlin-Reinickendorf, where the ICD is based. The white and blue institute building stands there, crammed in between cranes, tracks and car dealerships. You don't see anything about culture or international politics.

On the way to the conference hall, you pass a table with flyers, magazines and books, all promoting peace and reconciliation. Universal Peace Federation (UPF) is written on the flyers. The Moon Sect is openly advertising here. In the name of peace, of course, that sounds pretty harmless. In fact, its founder Sun Myung Moon is known for running at least one weapons factory.

Lisa Pauline Wagner was born into the Moon sect 30 years ago. She got out 16 years ago. She also remembers conferences: "Important people were invited: students or celebrities. They then talked about the big problems in the world." It wasn't scientific, she says. “Actually, they were big blah-blah events.” Wagner was considered a "blessed child" in the sect because her parents were personally paired at a matching ceremony by the sect's founder and later married. Mass weddings bring together women and men who have never met before. The cult leader Moon determined who had to marry whom. Since Moon's death in 2012, his wife, Hak Ja Han aka "Mother Moon", has taken over this task. The movement became big in Germany in the 1970s and 80s. Today there aren't as many "Moonies" as they call themselves. But their faith is dangerous.

“Homosexuality was hardly talked about, and when it was, it was only as an illness,” remembers dropout Lisa Pauline. And homophobia isn't the only thing. According to belief, Moonies are the better people, everyone else has to be fought. Moon's followers claim to rule the entire world as "better people".

The Berlin Sekteninfo has hardly anything to do with Moonies or their members anymore, says a representative in an interview with VICE. But it is not the number of members that makes them dangerous, but rather their actions.

One tactic of the Moon movement goes like this: The members try to befriend students and young people. They talk about peace and family. Only after months do they discuss Moon's teachings. With this type of proselytizing, Moonies captivate new members - very gently and gradually. “This dishonest approach is what makes Moon’s followers so dangerous,” says Fabian Maysenhölder, pastor and author of the cult podcast Secta.

Lisa Pauline Wagner describes the pull of the sect like this: "We had cool services with music, young people, a good atmosphere. This gives you the feeling of being part of a community, of something big, something important."

If you show students the UPF flyers, they don't know what to do with them. "Uh, well, today's conference is about peace - and this organization is apparently about peace too," a student says in English. Pictures show that the UPF members also talk to students and distribute their brochures. When asked, the ICD wrote: "Yes, in Berlin they brought some flyers and publications and distributed them to the participants."

An angry email One often encounters frustration and sometimes pure desperation among ICD students. “The quality of teaching was subpar,” says a former student who graduated in 2019. Others confirm this. Apparently this has been the case for several years. In an email from 2017, which VICE has obtained, students complain to the management of the institute:

“Courses are canceled at the last minute, sometimes even after they were supposed to start.”

"It's 2017 and the ICD is unable to set up proper IT and WIFI in the building."

"We watch YouTube videos for two hours in the courses. […] We search Wikipedia articles in an academic (?) place. […] There is also no platform where we can download documents. [ …] Instead, we copy them from USB stick to USB stick."

And they ask in the email: "For many it is still unclear what exactly ICD is. Is it an NGO, a university, an institute, a place to evade taxes or something even worse?"

The ICD wrote in the email: “Of course we take negative feedback into account and try to improve it.”

One thing is certain: a state university in the town of Furtwangen in Baden-Württemberg supports the ICD.

Help from a state university Only because of the cooperation with Furtwangen University can the sect-affiliated institute offer two private master's degree programs: International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy and International Economics, Business and Cultural Diplomacy. VICE has module and seminar plans from recent semesters. Both courses are almost identical. This shows that in the first semester, people teach who otherwise work as management consultants or in embassies. Scientists rarely teach. Furtwangen University doesn't mind. She writes: "We welcome the use of lecturers from professional practice at the ICD."

In the second semester, real professors from southern Germany travel to Berlin. The ICD has been working with Furtwangen University since 2016. The university belongs to the state of Baden-Württemberg. Her focus is on technology, medicine and business. However, there are no professorships there in culture, politics or international relations. Neither the ICD nor Furtwangen University see this as a discrepancy. The university refers to "several professorships that explicitly deal with topics in international relations, international economics and interculturality."

Study full of inconsistencies On official platforms, the university states that the course is in the field of political science and is studied in Villingen-Schwenningen. That's wrong. Because the studies take place in Berlin. Furtwangen University points out a display error on the platform.

And something else that's surprising: the certificates say "Business Administration" as a field of study: business administration. So it's not political science? The university points out that the master's programs are part of the study program offered by the Faculty of Business. In addition, both master's programs included aspects of international economics and international relations. If you look at the module handbook you can see: These economic aspects relate to three courses that make up just 15 percent of the overall grade.

Even though studying is rubbish, no one manages to fight back. Most students come from abroad. They keep thinking about complaining about the ICD, they report. But they don't know who. And then the fear of being in a foreign country without a degree prevails.

They receive a master's certificate. Anyway. Furtwangen University is exhibiting it. The certificates say: ACQUIN, a quality assurance institute, has accredited the course of study. That is also wrong. Because ACQUIN did not accredit the course of study, but the university. When asked, ACQUIN's managing director, Alexander Rudolph, confirmed: AQUIN has accredited the university until 2019. The university then accredited its courses itself, including those at the Berlin ICD. This accreditation is still valid until 2024. But since April 2023, Furtwangen University has been accrediting itself in a so-called “alternative procedure”. This makes it one of the first in Germany. The Ministry of Science in Baden-Württemberg writes: "The alternative procedure is by no means a loophole, but rather speaks for a very good quality culture." But why wasn’t the frustration of the ICD students noticed? The ministry points out the responsibility of the university. A spokesman said the ministry was not aware of any sectarian connections or criticism of the teachings.

And the university? She doesn't know anything about the new religious groups either. She writes: "We have no evidence of any influence from the groups mentioned on our teaching."

Questionable study certificates for visa applications Not only does the accreditation of Furtwangen University appear doubtful, but also its study certificates. Because it is not allowed to award such certificates to ICD students - according to the state higher education law and its own examination regulations. It says: The students in Berlin take part in an “external examination”. This means they are never part of the university, but rather external. Nevertheless, the university issues certificates of study to students at the ICD. Both the university and the Ministry of Science believe this is legal. Most students need a certificate of study in order to get a visa in Germany. Without a certificate of study, no entry, and possibly not even an appointment at the German embassy. A study certificate is one of the most important documents you need to come to Germany.

The trio behind the facade The ICD itself claims to have been founded in the USA in 1999. It cannot be verified whether this is true. On the homepage there were references to companies in the USA, most of which never existed according to the company register in Washington DC. There is now only one address from the USA on the homepage: 20 W 34th St., New York. The Empire State Building is there.

Mark Donfried has always been the director of the institute. The American-born man is in his mid-50s and always wears a suit when making public appearances. In the ICD group photos, he is the head that towers above all the others. His sister is Karen Donfried, the highest-ranking U.S. diplomat for Germany. She is basically the head of all US ambassadors in Europe. Your brother is not a real diplomat. Even though he's obviously trying his best to pretend with the ICD.

At the conference in February, Donfried comes on stage after Wagenknecht's lecture and asks her harmless questions: "What is your message to all Germans? What role does cultural diplomacy play in the Ukraine war?" Most questions from the audience are silenced. No time.

Mark Donfried teaches courses such as “International Case Studies of Applied Cultural Diplomacy” in the master’s program. But not particularly well, if you believe the students' statements. "There was no structure. We talked about things that came to mind," says a former student. Another ex-student says: "He is not qualified to teach such courses."

In fact, Mark Donfried is co-editor of an anthology on cultural diplomacy. Experts rate the anthology as mediocre. Donfried did not write any contributions of his own in the book. Apart from that, he has not published anything academic on the subject of cultural diplomacy. His highest academic degree is a bachelor's degree. In addition to Donfried, a married couple is part of the management trio. So the two of them act in the background. Mark Donfried is the face for public appearances, students report, but Rosie and Riman Vilnius are actually behind the institute.

Rosie's title is "Head of Communications". She reminds students of deadlines and organizes conferences. "Rosie loves money," says one student in an interview with VICE. Another puts it this way: "Rosie wanted to use every square meter of the building to squeeze out money." And a former conference participant remembers the event like this: "The plan, the times, the lectures were constantly changing. I had the feeling that the ICD only wanted to make money with the conference." The ICD says last-minute changes and cancellations only occur rarely, and when they do, they are cases of force majeure.

Riman Vilnius is believed by some alumni who spoke to VICE to be the real head of the ICD. He gives instructions, shakes hands and sometimes intimidates with his demeanor. One of them calls Riman Vilnius a “gangster boss.” Riman's name appears in contracts. He is the contact person for exchange projects with European universities. The three have been running the institute together for almost 25 years.

Donfried's corporate network It is doubtful whether Mark Donfried, Riman and Rosie Vilnius are really interested in cultural diplomacy: the ICD itself writes in an encyclopedia that there is "no fixed or generally accepted definition". Cultural diplomacy is best described "as the means by which countries promote their cultural and political values to the rest of the world." At VICE's request, the institute refers to a second definition that is similar in content and that it has defined itself. It does not cite any scientific sources.

Mark Donfried also has various side businesses: He is the owner of several hotels and real estate management companies in Germany. In February, there is a car in the ICD yard with advertising for one of its hotels stuck on it. If you read the Google reviews of these hotels, you get the impression that they are almost dilapidated and only serve as a facade. Google users describe a hotel in the Lower Saxony province as extremely dirty. A guest is apparently all alone in the hotel because there is no staff at all. “Creepy,” he writes. The corona pandemic thwarted Donfried's plans to build several hotels, writes the ICD.

Donfried also has a few companies in Great Britain. Some have now been disbanded. They were registered at the address of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), the Moon sect's front organization. An address suffix reveals that they apparently used the same rooms. Donfried hosted an ICD conference at the UPF premises in London in 2014. In 2020, he spoke at a memorial service on the anniversary of the death of cult founder Sun Myung Moon. He was also a speaker at a UPF conference in London in 2022. The connection between him and the cult seems to be close. According to his own statements, he is not a member.

Entanglements with politics Despite these connections, the ICD managed to operate close to German federal ministries. The institute published texts on a portal supported by the Ministry of Education. The ministry writes to VICE: "The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy has used the opportunity to publish individual event notices on the portal, like many other institutes and research institutions that deal with international issues. However, this was last the case in 2011." In 2014, the Federal Foreign Office introduced Mark Donfried as a supporter of an initiative for German-Turkish exchange. There is currently no cooperation, writes the Foreign Office. The ministries do not comment on questions about proximity to the sect.

The ICD website temporarily lists two Germans on the institute's advisory board: the arms lobbyist Dirk Niebel (FDP) and the former parliamentary speaker Rita Süssmuth (CDU). Süssmuth says she hasn't been on the advisory board for a long time. Niebel states that he ended his collaboration with the ICD in May. He served on the advisory board on a voluntary basis. “I gave speeches and moderated panels several times during my time on the board. Speeches and moderations were of course remunerated,” writes Niebel when asked. He doesn't tell us how much he was paid.

Today's Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir also sat there from 2009 to 2010. At that time he was not in the Bundestag, but was chairman of the Greens. When we asked, Özdemir confirmed that he was a speaker and advisory board member at the ICD. Mark Donfried spoke to him at the time. He didn't know anything about the cult contacts. “After a union reported questionable working conditions at the ICD, Mr. Özdemir ended his involvement,” writes his spokeswoman.

Externally, the ICD is decorated with names of politicians. It obviously tries to appear serious, to be a place for exchange and for international politics. In fact, it provides a network for villains and cults. Politicians and students help maintain the appearance of respectability – often without knowing it. Very few people learn anything for their future at the Berlin institute. A 2016 conference participant recalls: "I flew home after the conference and asked myself what cultural diplomacy actually was." At the time she paid 345 euros for it. Participation now costs almost 500 euros.

LINK to the original VICE article in German

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Top German politicians have spoken at the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy which has connections to the Moonies Korean messianic cult.

#unification church #moonies #sun myung moon #hak ja han #ffwpu #Universal Peace Federation #UPF #UC of Germany #FFWPU of Germany

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gsirvitor · 2 months

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Fascism, it's an oft misunderstood ideological framework, and is often misrepresented by those wishing to mock, or disavow it.

Fascism is a totalitarian political ideology that can be better described as state corporatism, Giovanni Gentile, the father of Fascism, considered Fascism the fulfilment of the Risorgimento ideals, which serve as the basis of Fascism.

Fascism, by definition, and in its foundations was about unifying Italy under one flag, a struggle for unification and liberation from foreign domination, be it financial, physical or political domination.

Quite a lot of people like to think of Hitler's Germany as a Fascist state, it wasn't, it was similar, but the two differed, the similarities can be attributed to the fact the leaders of both nations were both former Socialists, who believed that Socialism was too slow and adhered too much to bourgeois values.

A key concept of the essay The Doctrine of Fascism was that fascism was a rejection of previous models;

"Granted that the nineteenth century was the century of socialism, liberalism, democracy, this does not mean that the twentieth century must also be the century of socialism, liberalism, democracy. Political doctrines pass; nations remain. We are free to believe that this is the century of authority, a century tending to the "right", a Fascist century.

If the nineteenth century was the century of the individual (liberalism implies individualism) we are free to believe that this is the "collective" century, and therefore the century of the State."

Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile co-wrote this essay, and later had it published in the Italian Encyclopedia.

In 1940, Mussolini ordered all remaining copies of the document, which had different editions and translations, to be destroyed, because he changed his mind about certain points, that being his vision of Italy not expanding beyond its borders, and decrying war, he changed his view because he saw the Allies on the decline, and decided he'd rather join the winning side rather than be subsumed into Germany for remaining neutral.

Fascism was, in Italy, an ideology that decried war, expounded the state above the individual, and pushed corporatism, there were no individual rights, only collective rights.

Now, why do I say Hitler's Germany wasn't Fascist? Because beyond the superficial aesthetics, it wasn't, it was still very much Socialist, a Nationalist form of Socialism mind you, rather than the other forms which promoted a Globalist form of Socialism, or, if Hitler's Germany followed National Socialism, the other Socialist states adhered to International Socialism.

Today, academics try with all their might to muddy the waters in an attempt to separate Hitler's Germany from Socialism, and to align it with Fascism, when, if you read what the founders of each political ideology believed and wrote, you'd understand they are only superficially similar, with Hitler's Germany being closer to Imperial Japan and Stalin's Russia in its ideological framework than Italy.

It's why Mein Kampf reads like the Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists, a Socialist propaganda book, though I will add both Mussolini and Hitler loathed Capitalism, which Giovanni Gentile did not, but did see Fascism as the logical evolution of Socialism, so while both Fascism and National Socialism are forms of Socialism, they aren't identical.

Now, don't take this as me defending either, this is just my attempt to air a grievance I've had with people labeling everything they don't like as Fascist.

Such as Starship Troopers and Heinlein, a Libertarian book about a Libertarian utopia fighting space bugs that act as an allegory for Communism, written by a staunch Libertarian.

I think the thing that set me off, was someone on that long thread posted videos by some fat guy on YouTube, in which he invited all of his family on to discuss the novel, and they all take the wrong message from it, but the thing that really did it was his criticism of Heinlein being a military man, and then saying he can talk on it because, despite none of his family being in the Military, him and his brother were in the fucking scouts.

And then he made a long rambling video defending Verhoeven who uses the aesthetic argument of what makes something Fascist, and then uses another person who does the same thing, and I just lost it.

He even brought up the fact Neil Patrick Harris' character comes on to the screen at the end in a "Fascist" uniform, and goes "this is where Verhoeven said he lost the audience, because this scene beats them over the skull with the fact the Federation is Fascist!"

And I'm just fucking frothing at the mouth, these people really don't understand Fascism beyond the basic aesthetics of it, clean, in shape soldiers, chiseled jaws, full hair, clean cuts, he even lists these as if they're evidence, as if these aren't the features every society since the beginning of time has looked for in its soldier or warrior caste, no I guess being physically fit and ready to serve makes you a fucking Fascist to that butter ball of a man.

And God forbid your army has a Fashion sense, some troglodyte will come after it saying it's Fascist, and God forbid you use black or grey in your clothing, ooh, it's gonna activate some almonds.

Fucking morons, can't read past the surface level of anything they encounter.

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