A German pastor stirred strong Christian emotions when he recently held a Muslim funeral inside the Protestant St. Pauli Church in Hamburg, Germany for a 17-year-old man labelled a "terrorist" and a "killer" who fought and died for the Islamic State (ISIS).
Pastor Sieghard Wilm said he knew he would be bombarded with criticism for what he has done but that he has dealt with worse criticism in his life before, Breitbart reports.
"We cannot deny this is a difficult situation," Wilm said in an interview with SHZ.de.
"I can tell you as a pastor at St. Pauli ... I have also laid to rest more killers," he added.
He defended his action, saying, "A man remains a man. Even a person who has offended against someone. Even such a man has relatives who mourn him."
Amid the public uproar over his action, Wilm said he just wanted to create a "safe space" for the family of the slain ISIS militant. He said the mother of the slain ISIS fighter was a Christian, and that it was more appropriate for her to be in a church to mourn her son's death than in a mosque.
He also contended that the Muslim service would be a good opportunity for "learning and respect among religions."
The slain ISIS teenage fighter known as "Florent" had sent an audio message back to Germany shortly before his death, saying he had become disillusioned with the terrorist group, according to Breitbart.
This led to speculation that his fellow ISIS militants might have executed him after finding out his waning support for their cause.
Florent immigrated to Germany from Cameroon and was raised as a Christian until he was converted to Islam at the age of 14 by Salafist preachers.
Wilm said he knew Florent and his family but that he lost contact with Florent after the latter converted to Salafism.
Florent was just one of many radicalised Muslims who have gone off to fight for ISIS. In Hamburg alone, Breitbart reports that 65 Muslim residents have travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS, and 15 of them have returned.
Wilm's Protestant church is the same church that made headlines in 2013 when it removed its pews and converted itself into a migrant centre for Muslim immigrants from Africa, according to a Deutsche Welle report at the time.
