In Germany, a few Muslim refugees convert to Christianity

December 10, 2016

Berlin, Dec 10: Clad in white at a Berlin church, asylum seekers Saeed, Veronica, Farida and Matin were just about to become Christians on a recent Sunday.chrs

"Do you believe from the bottom of your heart that Jesus Christ is your Lord and saviour, and will you follow him every day of your life?" Pastor Matthias Linke asked them. "If so, say yes."

All four replied with a frank "Ja", to the enthusiastic applause of the faithful at the Free Evangelical Church, and were plunged head-to-toe into a baptism basin.

"I am very, very happy, I feel... how to say?", said 20-year-old Iran native Matin right after his baptism, placing his hand on his chest.

Muslim refugees have recently been taking the same step throughout Germany, where nearly 900,000 asylum seekers arrived in 2015.

Church leaders have confirmed a notable, though not huge, trend upward, but have not provided statistics.

"In our diocese, there are several groups of refugees who are preparing for baptism, and there are more and more requests," said Felix Goldinger, a Catholic priest in Speyer, southwestern Germany.

Many come from Iran and Afghanistan, some from Syria or Eritrea, he said.

"I am currently handling a group of 20 people but I do not know how many will go through until baptism," he said.

Over the course of their preparations, which last nearly a year in Goldinger's diocese, potential converts are encouraged to weigh their own motivations.

"During this period, it is important that they examine their original religion, Islam, and the reasons why they want to change it," he said.
"We are obviously pleased that people want to be baptised, but it is very important for us that they are sure of their decision."

Goldinger said that "many people recall what they have experienced in their country", including "terrorist acts committed in the name of religion. They see Christianity as a religion of love and respect for life."

In Iran, said Linke, many had been in contact with unrecognised churches in the Islamic republic, where conversion is prohibited, and then had to flee.

Other refugees met Christians on their journey to Europe.

This was the case for Saeed, a 31-year-old aeronautical engineer who spent four months in Turkey with a Christian and then became interested in his religion. Like fellow new convert Veronica, Saeed is from Afghanistan.

Reading the Bible "helped in times of trouble," he says.

It was in Greece, recalled Matin, that he first came in touch with the Christian faith. After he arrived in Germany, he approached the Free Evangelical Church through his German friends.

His sister Farida followed him and they began preparations -- in German and Farsi -- for baptism.

Farida said she "was looking for a church" and wanted to choose her religion "in complete freedom".

"This is a very important reason to become a Christian," said Linke.

Among refugees who adopt Germany's dominant religion, he said, "there is a strong desire to decide for themselves, in a free and personal way, the direction of their lives".

Churches concede that some conversions are motivated by a desire to integrate into German society, or even by the belief that they will increase their chances of gaining political asylum.

Countries that send Muslim converts to Christianity back to their homelands put them potentially at great risk.

Apostasy or blasphemy can be punished with jail or death sentences in some Muslim countries, among them Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

For jihadist groups such as the Islamic State, conversion is also a punishable sin.

"There are refugees who think that if they convert, it will be easier for them to stay here, but it is not systematic," Goldinger said.

"Do they change religion in order to be able to stay in Germany? This is an important issue for the authorities," said Linke, who is often consulted by the state Office for Migration and Refugees.

"I have no guarantees, I can only ask them: 'do you really believe with all your heart?' After their baptism, most of them live as Christians and come to church," he added.

Outside their new community, the converts nonetheless usually try to remain discreet.

"They may face difficult situations in refugee homes, where the majority are Muslims," said Thomas Klammt, in charge of migration issues at the Union of Free German Evangelical Churches.

"They may also be afraid for their families left behind in their country of origin."

Matin said he stays in contact with relatives back home -- especially his mother, who had "accepted" his willingness to convert.

"She calls me every Sunday to ask if I have been to mass," he said, laughing.

Comments

shaji
 - 
Sunday, 11 Dec 2016

Christian missionaries are luring these deserted people to change their religion. This is their tactics being practiced in many poor countries.

Rashid
 - 
Sunday, 11 Dec 2016

One , who really applied muslim or community connected muslim , never select other religion... Allah considers eligible to 'jannah' , whether he dies as 'muslim' ... that is why muslim always prays to die as muslims...

Mohammad.n
 - 
Saturday, 10 Dec 2016

Failed in Allah's test

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News Network
February 9,2020

Beijing, Feb 9: After making sure everyone's face mask is on and sanitizer is to hand, the Qiao family heads out to Jingshan Park, a former royal sanctuary beside the Forbidden City in China's capital Beijing.

Snow has fallen for a second day, a rare event in the city of 21.5 million that would normally bring hundreds of thousands of people out to take photos and play. But the streets are empty and the parks are so quiet the only sound is of birds chirping.

It's not just Beijing. Shanghai, China's financial hub, and other cities in the world's most populous nation have turned into ghost towns after the government extended a holiday and asked residents not to go out because of the coronavirus.

"We know the situation of the coronavirus is severe. But the epicentre is far away, so we think it should be fine here ... It's a God-given chance to enjoy this family moment with snow and without work," said Mr Qiao, who has an 11-year-old daughter.

The epidemic has killed 722 people and infected nearly 32,000 in China as of February 8. More than three-quarters of the cases are in the central Hubei province where the virus originated - more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from Beijing.

Only a few people are brave enough to come out. A security guard at Jingshan Park said there were less than a third of the number of tourists than usual, even with the rare snowfall.

Even at one of the best spots for snapping photos of snowy Beijing just outside the Forbidden City, there's barely a crowd, while the usual tour buses and groups of people speaking different dialects are nowhere to be seen.

"Last year when it snowed, I took a few hours off work to come down here to take a picture and the crowd was several layers deep," said a man in his 30s who gave his surname as Yang. "But this year, I am not at all worried about finding a space to take a photo. The virus is keeping people indoors."

Security guards along Wangfujing street, a popular pedestrianised shopping area in downtown Beijing, said it was normally so crowded during the holiday period that it was hard to move around.

"Look at it now, there are more security guards and street cleaners than tourists!" said one of the guards.

Businesses, including shops, bars and restaurants, have been severely hit by the epidemic as the government has banned mass gatherings and even group meals in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"You would have to wait outside for a table on a normal day," said a waitress at a restaurant with more than 50 tables. Just five were taken at the peak lunch hour.

Only a handful of the more than 100 restaurants along Beijing's famous food street, Guijie, were open, and the remaining outlets were wondering how long they can hold out.

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Agencies
March 29,2020

A shrimp seller at the wet market in the Chinese city of Wuhan believed to be the centre of the coronavirus pandemic, may be the first person to have tested positive for the disease, a media report said on Saturday.

The report by the London-based Metro newspaper said that 57-year-old woman, named by the Wall Street Journal as Wei Guixian, was selling shrimp at the Huanan Seafood Market when she developed what she thought was a cold last December.

Chinese digital news outlet, The Paper has said that she may be epatient zero'.

Wei was told by doctors her illness was "ruthless" and other workers at the market had come to the Wuhan Union Hospital with the same symptoms, the Metro newspaper report quoted the outlet as saying.

"Every winter, I suffer from the flu, so I thought it was the flu," the woman was quoted as saying by The Paper news outlet.

The shrimp seller added that she believed she contracted the coronavirus from the shared toilet in the market.

She said the fatal disease would have killed fewer people if the government had acted sooner.

Wuhan Municipal Health Commission has confirmed that Wei was among the first 27 people to test positive for the coronavirus.

It said she was one of 24 cases with direct links to the market, the Metro newspaper reported.

Though Wei may be "patient zero", it does not mean she is the first person to have contracted the virus, added the Metro report.

Chinese researchers have claimed that the first person diagnosed with the airborne virus had no contact with the seafood market and was identified on December 1, 2019.

Wei was later quarantined when a connection was made between the bug and the market before recovering in January.

As of Saturday, the global number of coronavirus cases stood at 104,837 with 27,862 deaths, according to the latest update by the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US has the highest number of cases at 104,837, followed by Italy 86,498 and China 81,948.

Italy has recorded the highest number of fatalities with 9,134 deaths, followed by Spain and China, at 5,138 and 3,299, respectively.

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News Network
June 13,2020

Paris, Jun 13: The coronavirus pandemic has killed 425,000 people since it emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally of official sources at 0130 GMT on Saturday.

A total of 425,282 deaths have now been recorded from 7,632,517 cases.

Europe has registered 186,843 deaths from 2,363,538 cases, but the epidemic is progressing most rapidly in Latin America, where there have been a total of 76,343 deaths recorded from 1,569,938 cases.

The United States remains the country with the most recorded deaths at 114,643, ahead of Brazil which on Friday became the second worst-hit nation with 41,828 deaths. Britain is next with 41,481 deaths, followed by Italy (34,223) and France (29,374).

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