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Who are Marc and Claire Headley? Ex-members of Scientology targeted in 'hate websites' had accused church of abuse

'Which other tax-exempt ‘religion’ sets up hate websites against people who speak openly about their abuses?' asked journalist Yashar Ali in a tweet about the couple being targeted by Scientology-funded sites

Journalist Yashar Ali on Twitter recently revealed that Scientology has made "hate websites" for Marc and Claire Headley. This was after the couple spoke up about the alleged dark side of the religious movement. They have accused the Scientology church of abuse, forced abortion, and have also detailed torturous conditions they claim to have endured as members in the past.

Taking to Twitter, the 41-year-old who has contributed to HuffPost, NBC News, and New York magazine, wrote, “Which other tax-exempt ‘religion’ sets up hate websites against people who speak openly about their abuses? Which other tax-exempt ‘religion’ forces people’s family to attack them and lie about them on camera? There’s only one tax-exempt ‘religion’ that  does this: Scientology.”

Ali also tweeted, “So why did Scientology setup this website against Claire and Marc? Because Claire spoke out about being forced by Scientology to have an abortion twice. Because both Marc and Claire spoke about Scientology prison camps and the tortuous conditions that sea org members live under.”

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Who are Marc and Claire Headley?

The Headleys are former members of the Church of Scientology. However, now the husband and wife have both become one of its staunchest critics. According to reports, Marc came in contact with the religious movement through his mother, who is also a follower of Scientology.

Marc’s childhood was all about Scientology. When he turned 16, he automatically started working as an employee for the Church as he joined the Sea Organization. For the next 15 years, he reportedly devoted himself to his work while making videos and other kinds of media content for the organization to help spread its message. During that time, he also met Claire, another Scientologist. They got married.

But things changed for the worse in 2005. Marc claimed that he had the approval to sell old Scientology materials on eBay to get money for the organization, but he was later accused of stealing.

Marc apparently did not want to face the organization’s prison-like program – the Rehabilitation Project Force – because of the allegation. So, in 2006, he fled the Church base. Though he was chased by security guards, police escorted him to safety. Later, Claire also left the membership and went to live with her husband.

In an interview with 9News, Marc described what was it to like to be a member of the Scientology church. He said, “It’s a cult masquerading as a religion that’s operating as a business. It was a culture of physical violence and I also realized we weren’t doing what the church said we were doing; we weren’t helping people.”

He has also written a memoir in late 2009, titled ‘Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology,’ to share his experiences. 

Marc and Claire Headley have sued the Church twice. Claire has said she was “ordered and coerced to have abortions by Defendant’s management.” However, their allegations were dismissed by the court and they were instead asked to pay the Church $42,000 to cover the court costs.

Do Scientology's 'hate websites' target the Headleys?

Marc and Claire Headley’s names have resurfaced again because of Ali’s recent tweets accusing Scientology of torturing the pair using "hate websites". The website that he used a screenshot from for his viral tweet for instance says, "Marc Headley is a sick pathological liar" and has video interviews with Marc Headley's mother and former colleague speaking out against him. The website also hosts an accusatory video profile on the Headleys titled 'The Losers'.

After Ali’s tweets went viral, several people chose to express their views. One such user wrote, “Why hasn’t someone taken them down yet? What needs to happen? This is a criminal organization.” Another user said, “It's also amazing how many people don't know about the EXTREME Mormon fundamentalist cults that are horrifying and run very much like scientology. Prison camps and shunning.”

A person remarked, “Scientology always was interesting in the sense, there is absolutely ZERO historical representation. So, the bible right, had some historical elements to it. There was SOME proof it COULD'VE happened. Scientology is based off of a sci-fi book. How dumb are people?”

“What's with the sudden move against Scientology? They've had critics for years but recently the intensity has picked up dramatically. Is there a back story that we're not hearing about?” a second person asked.