He Was 18. Scientology Put Him in Charge.

A former Scientology executive in Scotland on recruitment, control, and getting out

Scientology recruitment rarely looks the way people imagine. There is no shadowy figure pulling you into a back room. The process is gradual, warm, and, for a curious young person, entirely easy to misinterpret. Amir Essalhi was 18 years old and studying film when he first walked into the Edinburgh organization in late 2022. He had never heard of L. Ron…