View source for Ian Haworth

{{Short description|British anti-cultist}}
'''Ian Haworth''' (born c. 1947) is a British [[Anti-cult movement|anti-cultist]]. Originally from [[Lancashire]], [[United Kingdom]], he moved to and lived in [[Toronto]], [[Canada]], in late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s.<ref name=":0">James Gray, "Cult Following," ''New Humanist'', 30 April 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2022. https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/2790/cult-following.</ref><ref name=":1">"Who Represents CIC?," [[Cult Information Centre]]. Retrieved 7 June 2022. https://cultinformation.org.uk/mobile/about-us/who-represents-cic/.</ref> He returned to Britain in 1987 and founded the [[Cult Information Centre]], a major anti-cult organization, of which he is "General Secretary."<ref name=":1" /><ref>Elisabeth Arweck, "[[Anti-cult movement|Anti-Cult Movement]]: ''[[The Family Survival Trust|FAIR]], [[Cult Information Centre|Cult Information Centre (CIC)]]''," in ''Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements'', edited by [[Peter B. Clarke]], 35–8 (London and New York: [[Routledge]], 2006), 37.</ref> He also founded the Council on Mind Abuse (COMA){{ref|Alpha|α}} in 1979 in Toronto.<ref name=":2">Elisabeth Arweck, ''Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions'' (London and New York: [[Routledge]], 2006), 194n22.</ref>

== Council on Mind Abuse (COMA) ==
Haworth and others founded COMA after his interactions with a group he labels a "[[cult]]." Haworth in the 1970s joined a group, the [[PSI Seminars|PSI Mind Development Institute]], in Toronto in order to [[Smoking cessation|quit smoking]].<ref name=":3">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19790801&id=P9AyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UO4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1073,423445 "COMA  helps sufferers of mind abuse,"] ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]'', 1 August 1979.</ref><ref>William Shaw, ''Spying in Guru Land: Inside Britain's Cults'' (London: [[Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation|Fourth Estate]], 1994), 191.</ref> He claimed he was [[Hypnosis|hypnotized]] at least 16 times in the four-day course that he attended.<ref name=":0" /> Upon finding others with similar experiences, they founded COMA.

In addition to cults and [[New religious movement|new religious movements]], COMA was active in the North American [[Satanism hysteria|satanism scare]] of the 1980s and 1990s.<ref>Lisa Priest, "Cult expert warns of child violence," ''Toronto Star'', 7 November 1990.</ref><ref>Lisa Wright, "Rebellious teenagers try satanism: expert," ''Toronto Star'', 2 November 1989.</ref><ref>Lisa Wright, "Satanic sex abuse exists, group told," ''Toronto Star'', 7 April 1989.</ref><ref>"Belief in devil on increase: Pastor gets 10 to 15 calls weekly about spirit possession," ''Toronto Star'', 17 January 1995.</ref><ref>Marilyn Dunlop, "Sexual abuses linked to satanism," ''Toronto Star'', 1 February 1991.</ref><ref>Adrian Cloete, "Experts look for the signs of devil worship," ''Toronto Star'', 29 June 1989.</ref><ref>[[Tom Harpur]], "Satanic rock music is a serious hazard," ''Toronto Star'', 12 March 1989.</ref><ref>Louise Brown, "Alarming number of teenagers drawn to Satanism," ''Toronto Star'', 1 October 1989.</ref><ref>Anne Stacey and Brian Bethune, "Questions of Satanism; tales of ritual abuse are common," ''[[Maclean's]]'' 102, no. 48 (27 November 1989).</ref>

COMA's activities primarily were answer phone calls of distressed relatives and loved ones of people who joined new religious movements and left home.<ref name=":3" /> In addition, COMA hosted presentations and were consulted by police, courts, social organizations, journalists, etc. Haworth told the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' that at its founding, COMA received about 50–80 calls or letters asking for information about new religious movements, and COMA gave about 1,000 presentations throughout [[Ontario]] about cults.<ref name=":4">"Mind Abuse," ''Toronto Star'', 6 June 1987.</ref> In 1992, COMA's then director, psychologist Robert Tucker, told the ''Toronto Star'' that they receive about 100–150 calls per week.<ref name=":5">Caroline Mallan, "Legal bills bankrupt cult watchdog," ''[[Toronto Star]]'', 22 February 1992.</ref>

COMA, under Haworth, operated out of a secret location, so there was no office or facility in which people could receive help.<ref name=":3" />

Almost immediately after its founding, various groups attacked COMA in order to discredit it. For example, in 1980, a false newsletter was circulated around [[Ottawa]] ostensibly written by COMA staff.<ref name=":6">Steve Arnold, [http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/MPL/MPL002500545pf_1092.pdf "Cults are not a fad—COMA spokesman says,"] ''[[The Canadian Champion]]'' ([[Milton, Ontario]]), 27 August 1980.</ref> Dr. B. W. Shaw, a COMA [[spokesperson]], told ''[[The Canadian Champion]]'' that it was likely written by "cult organizations," specifically to discredit COMA as a trustworthy organization.<ref name=":6" />

In 1987, Haworth left COMA and Canada to form the [[Cult Information Centre]] in [[London]]. Robert Tucker took over as director in July 1987.<ref name=":4" /> Tucker moved COMA to a different office in Toronto in August 1989, and its location was publicized.<ref>Michael McAteer, "The Cult Game: They're Less Visible but Still There," ''Toronto Star'', 29 July 1989.</ref> Tucker attempted to increase the funding COMA received in donations, service and consulting fees, and presentations in 1991; he told the ''Toronto Star'' in June 1991 that without an extra 20,000 [[Canadian dollar|CAD]] in revenue, COMA would have to close in September 1991.<ref>"Money woes," ''Toronto Star'', 15 June 1991.</ref>

In 1992, COMA went bankrupt due to two new religious movements, the [[Church of Scientology]] and [[Erhard Seminars Training|Erhard Seminars Training (EST)]], suing for [[libel]] in suits that spanned about five years.<ref name=":5" /><ref>Jamie S. Scott, [[Irving Hexham]], and [[Karla Poewe]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=GbZJ2ZszYw8C&pg=PA402#v=onepage&q&f=false "Afterword: New Religious Movements and the Religions of Canadians Going Forward,"] in ''The Religions of Canadians'', edited by Jamie S. Scott, 387–406 (Toronto: [[University of Toronto Press]], 2012), 402.</ref> However, Tucker believes there were other causes to its closure as well. He writes in the ''Toronto Star'' that government inaction and hesitancy of donors contributed to its bankruptcy as well.<ref>Robert Tucker, "Prepare for more cult tragedies," ''Toronto Star'', 2 April 1997.</ref> COMA officially closed on 1 March 1992.<ref>Caroline Mallan, "Workers told how to deal with mental torment of kids," ''Toronto Star'', 27 February 1992.</ref>

== Cult Information Centre (CIC) ==
Upon arriving in Britain in 1987, Haworth founded the [[Cult Information Centre]].<ref name=":22">Elisabeth Arweck, ''Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions'' (London and New York: Routledge, 2006), 194n22.</ref> Like COMA, Haworth made the office location and identities of the trustees a secret to avoid harassment from new religious movements.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Shaw, ''Spying in Guru Land'', 188.</ref> On CIC's website, Haworth is described as having addressed 20,000 enquiries and delivered 1,200 talks on new religious movements.<ref name=":12">"Who Represents CIC?," [[Cult Information Centre]]. Retrieved 7 June 2022. https://cultinformation.org.uk/mobile/about-us/who-represents-cic/.</ref> CIC works extensively with [[Educational institution|educational institutions]], [[Union organization|union organizations]], and other organizations to disseminate information about new religious movements to students, whom Haworth believes are particularly vulnerable to [[brainwashing]] techniques.<ref>Kate Coxon, "Cult Following: Students may find themselves the target of religious sects seeking new members, warns Kate Coxon," ''The Guardian'' (London), 6 November 2001.</ref>

CIC registered as a charity (No. 1012914) through the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales]] in 1992, which has maintained up to the present.<ref name=":22" /> CIC claims to be the first organization with charity status to research new religious movements and expose their "harmful methods."<ref>"Cult Information Centre," CIC. Retrieved 7 June 2022. https://cultinformation.org.uk/.</ref>

== Litigation Issues ==
In 1982, Haworth made some remarks about [[Erhard Seminars Training]] at the [[University of Guelph]], which were published in a local newspaper.<ref name=":7">[[David Pallister]], "Libel award of Pounds 20,000 bankrupts cult watcher," ''The Guardian'' (London), 3 August 1996.</ref><ref name=":8">David Pallister, "Bankruptcy for Charity Chief," ''The Guardian'' (London), 18 April 1996.</ref> A libel action was heard against him in his absence in a Canadian court in 1989, after he returned to Britain in 1987. In 1990, Haworth was informed of the libel action with a damages award of 5,000 [[Pound sterling|GBP]] against him with 14% interest.<ref name=":8" /> The Canadian court awarded [[Landmark Worldwide|Landmark Education International]]—later called [[Werner Erhard and Associates|Werner Erhard & Associates International]], which is a corporatized form of [[Erhard Seminars Training|EST]]—10,000 CAD plus costs at Haworth, an associate (Robert Sutherland), and the local newspaper's expense.<ref name=":9">Peter Victor, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/anticult-groups-riven-by-schism-and-bitter-feuds-many-despise-rivals-more-than-sects-they-monitor-1441829.html "Anti-cult groups riven by schism and bitter feuds; Many despise rivals more than sects they monitor,"] ''[[The Independent]]'' (London), 9 October 1994.</ref> Werner Erhard & Associates, which have offices in [[London]], brought the case to the [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] where they were awarded 20,423 GBP in damages at Haworth's expense.<ref name=":8" /> Haworth filed for [[Bankruptcy in the United Kingdom|bankruptcy]] in April 1996, which did not infringe on his [[Anti-cult movement|anti-cult]] work.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":7" /> The local newspaper's case was dropped after it published a statement written by EST, and Sutherland's case was dropped after making an apology and paying 100 GBP.<ref name=":8" /> Allegedly, Haworth—having learned of the libel action against him—fled to Britain in 1987 in order to avoid paying damages.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":9" /> However, no legal action was ever taken against him for this allegation. 

== Notes ==
:{{note|Alpha|α}}There is another anti-cult organization in the United States and the United Kingdom named COMA and should not be confused with this Canadian one.

== See also ==
*[[Anti-cult movement]]
*[[Cult Information Centre]]

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
*[https://cultinformation.org.uk/ Cult Information Centre]
*[https://psiseminars.com/ PSI Seminars]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haworth, Ian}}
[[Category:Anti-cult movement]]
[[Category:1940s births]]
[[Category:People from Lancashire (before 1974)]]
[[Category:Activists from Toronto]]
[[Category:Critics of new religious movements]]
[[Category:Anti-smoking activists]]
[[Category:Living people]]