To the Prime Minister David Cameron
CC Eric Pickles: Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
A PETITION FOR SELF STYLED PROPHETS AND THEIR CHURCHES TO BE REGULATED IN THE UK
If someone had told me 11 years ago when I moved into my newly built property that one day I would be homeless living in a women's refugee, I would have told them over my dead body. Mr Prime Minister, I write this letter to you today as a woman who has lost everything I have ever worked for in the United Kingdom. I love Great Britain with my whole being, its been my home all my adult life, I turned 18 in this country, I turned 21 here, and I celebrated 30 years of my life in this beautiful country. Even though I was born in Zimbabwe and spent my childhood there, today what I call home is England, I have contributed to the community as a mental health nurse and I have paid my taxes and national insurance. I do see myself as British and have no plans to live anywhere else, because to me home is where the heart is, and my heart is in Great Britain. For the past 15 years of my life in the UK I never once claimed benefits or lived on public funds until I found myself homeless in a women's refugee. The reason why I ended up homeless in the United Kingdom is my reason to bring this letter to your attention Mr Prime Minister. Somehow in my heart, I have a deep yearning for justice and change, I do love my country dearly, and I believe this is something that should be brought to your good and honourable office by none other than a woman who has suffered and endured the harsh realities being faced by many Black African women living in the UK today, a problem that I believe is huge but remains an unspoken of.
I believe the United Kingdom is a country that is governed by rules and laws that protect the general public. I believe Britain should be safe for everyone, including those who chose to go to Church. I was raised in a culture in Africa where people are extremely religious, and always look onto one person as their spiritual leader. The spiritual leader will have absolute authority and power over individuals, and anything they say or do is regarded as directly inspired by a God or a supreme being. Most of these Spiritual Leaders are self appointed. They say that God has directly spoken to them to start a church, and will say they are modern day Prophets who hear the audible voice of God and even see manifestations of God in visions and appearances confirming their self appointed prophetic office. Britain now being a multi cultural society, with the multicultural population growing to more than 7 million, a large number of that population being black Africans who have migrated to the UK. Most Black Africans who migrate to the UK do so because political instabilities and severe conflict in counties like Rwanda, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and many other troubled African countries. Immigration challenges faced by African immigrants often cause them to seek spiritual guidance from African Church leaders. As a result "Church" has become part of an African culture and lifestyle prevalent in the today's British society. Self Styled Prophets and church leaders use this opportunity to attract church members, even promising the African population to solve their immigration problems and challenges. I personally believe they are more than 1000 self styled Prophets today leading churches that are officially registered as charities in the United Kingdom.
As much as I understand the freedom of religion, and the importance of religion in our British African society, I also believe that the children and the adults who follow the self styled prophets should be somehow protected by the law under basic human rights. I believe that the people who follow self styled Prophets are vulnerable in the sense that they believe that the self styled Prophets represent God, and anything that is said or done by the Prophets is inspired by God. I believe that adults who are members of these churches fall into the category of vulnerable adults and children by default. I believe that everyone living in the UK has a right to live in safety be at work, their own home, or even in a church service.
Allow me Mr Prime Minister to briefly share with you why I believe something needs to be done in the United Kingdom in regards to the rampart rising of self styled Prophets and Church leaders taking advantage of the vulnerable public.
In 2006 Zimbabwean born Walter Masocha left his job as a Lecturer in Scotland saying God had called him to be a Prophet to the African Immigrants in the United Kindgom. He said he would help struggling immigrants to get their legal stay in the UK. This automatically generated a huge following despite the fact that Prophet Masocha had been expelled from his previous church for sexually assaulting women during prayer sessions. As a Charismatic speaker, he managed to attract a huge following, especially from Zimbabweans living in the UK, the majority of his followers being single mothers. I joined the church in 2011. During my church membership I was often restrained by male pastors during long hours of gruesome exorcisms, I was manipulated into giving all my money to the Prophet, leaving me staying in a house without food and electricity, whilst the Prophet would be on holidays abroad. I was often subjected to bullying, cruelty and harassment, until one Sunday I decided to stand up for myself and it resulted in the Pastor of the church calling the ambulance and asking the paramedics to section me under the mental health act. Because the paramedics refused to section me, I suffered more abuse from the Church leaders, resulting in me fleeing the Church to a Women's Refugee.
In the Women's Refugee in pain and anguish over the life threatening abuses I suffered in the hands of Prophet Masocha, with no one to talk to about what had happened to me, I started a blog to document the abuse I suffered in the Church. As a writer this was my coping mechanism to deal with the trauma. Never the intention of my blogging, my blog became a platform for more victims of Prophet Walter Masocha to share their horrendous experiences in Agape Church. Other victims found the courage to report Prophet Masocha to the police, and in the process of time Prophet Walter Masocha was arrested.
In January as he stood before Alloa Sheriff Court in Scotland, Prophet Masocha was charged with the following counts of sexual assault.
In January as he stood before Alloa Sheriff Court in Scotland, Prophet Masocha was charged with the following counts of sexual assault.
- On various occasions between January 1, 2012 and July 31, 2013, at his home and the hotel he engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl by inducing her to massage his body whilst in a state of undress using massage oils.
- On various occasions between January 1, 2012 and May 16, 2013, at his home and the hotel he engaged in sexual activity with a 12-year-old girl by inducing her to massage his body whilst in a state of undress using massage oils.
- Between April 1, 2012 and March 30, 2013, at his home he did sexually assault a woman by repeatedly putting his arms around her, pressing his body against her, touching her on her body and private parts.
- Between January 1, 2013 and January 27, 2014, at his home he engaged in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl by repeatedly kissing her on the lips, touching her on the body and placing his hands on her buttocks and pinching them.
When the Prophet stood before Court this month, he said the charges regarding the sexual acts between him and the under-age girls relate to "church practices". Meaning he is using his office as a self styled Prophet to defend sexually abusing women and girls. Moreover his followers and church members members have defended the Prophet saying even Jesus Christ was "massaged" by women and the Church Administrator Ian Brook McHardy defended the practise saying in a written document to concerned Church members that "Women in the bible responded to Men Of God differently" so if women and girls want to massage the naked body of the Prophet, it was biblically approved.
I believe that was there a law to protect children and women, these sexual abuses and other life threatening abuses would not be allowed to happen and progress. Other practises of grave concern in Agape Church which I believe come under public health and safety include
I believe that was there a law to protect children and women, these sexual abuses and other life threatening abuses would not be allowed to happen and progress. Other practises of grave concern in Agape Church which I believe come under public health and safety include
- Church members being given handkerchiefs of the Prophet's sweat to wipe themselves with believing his sweat is "holy anointing oil".
- Church members hitting other peoples children and the bible being used to justify this practice.
- Children being left alone unsupervised for long periods of time during church services resulting in children engaging in unlawful sexual activities
- Registered sex offender being appointed as a leader in the church and working with children unsupervised.
- Prophet Masocha conducting "Spiritual Surgeries" alone with under-age girls and women in which he does anything he wishes to the women and girls who believe he is "anointed by God to do so"
- Church members giving all their money to the Church leaving their children hungry to the point of stealing food from shops
- Women and children being pushed violently to the floor during prayer sessions, recently a woman was hospitalised after being badly injured during the prayer sessions. I also have DVDs which show children being pushed to the floor.
- Violent exorcisms on women being conducted against their will, I was once restrained by men and exorcised after I walked out of a church service. In 2006 Prophet Masocha was served with an ASBO for conducting noisy exorcisms in his front garden after neighbours reported him to the police.
Mr Prime Minister, I am just a woman, who through following a self styled Prophet had my life completely destroyed. I am now in the process of rebuilding my life again. I was lucky to survive, other victims have been so desperate they committed suicide. My time in the Women's Refuge was painful but powerful, and it was in the refuge that I learnt that in order to obtain justice, it always starts with one person who speaks out, and paves the way for others. I do not want my suffering to be in vain. I do not want my coming out in public with my story to be in vain. I want more than justice for the abuse I have suffered. I want change. I want a safer Britain for the Black African Church communities. I want a safer Britain for the children of parents who choose to follow self styled Prophets.
I hope you take my petition into consideration
Yours sincerely
Jean ( A Survivor of life threatening Church Abuse in modern day Britain)
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Myself with Self Styled Prophet Masocha during a church service in Rochdale May 2013
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