An apparently contrite Germany has admitted a grievous mistake, resulting in an "unbearable" situation for Christian refugees in the country.
"We have underestimated the role of religion," said Germany's Home Secretary, Thomas de Maizière, at a conference last month, World Watch Monitor reported. He was referring to the "integration experiment" approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel where Christian and Muslim refugees were "mixed" in refugee centres.
Thomas said the "experiment" was agreed upon based on the "widespread belief" in Germany that the importance of religion and faith has decreased globally. He said that presumption proved to be wrong.
Now, a group of German NGOs, led by Open Doors Germany, is calling on the German government to end this experiment.
The problem with mixing Muslim and Christian refugees was exemplified when a recently arrived refugee was confronted with these words written on the wall in the refugee shelter where he was placed: "The time has come to cut off the heads of all non-believers!"
The asylum seeker, apparently a Christian, was horrified. "I was shocked! In Iran this may happen, but I never expected such a thing to happen in Germany. This has shattered my trust," he said.
Two surveys conducted by the German NGOs among asylum-seekers in German refugee centres this year detailed the minorities' accounts of intimidation by Muslim refugees, according to World Watch Monitor.
The surveys showed that 743 Christian refugees reported various acts of intimidation. Of this number, 617 of them (83 percent) reported multiple assaults; 314 (42 percent) death threats; 416 (56 percent) violent assaults; and 44 (6 percent) sexual assaults.
Ninety-one percent (674) of the Christian respondents said the assaults were committed by Muslim refugees, 28 percent (205) by Muslim guards and 34 percent (254) by "other parties."
The German NGOs' report says the testimonies of the refugees clearly show that the assaults are religiously motivated and that such attacks on minority refugees in shelters occur all over Germany.
A German government office placed the burden of restoring order on the refugees themselves. "It is expected of all asylum seekers to live together peacefully, irrespective of their religion... The constitutionally protected freedom of religion, which is a highly valued asset, is every person's due," the German statement said.
However, the German NGOs countered by saying refugees who belong to religious minorities are not experiencing religious freedom since they lack the opportunity to freely practice their faith in refugee centres, adding that they only suffer from violence and threats if they try to live their faith.
