Their names are Amir, Jakob or Nesrin and they come from Afghanistan. They have a new homeland - Germany, and a new religion - Christianity. Are they baptized just to have a better chance of getting asylum?
"It affects me a lot when I listen to them say the symbol of faith, because they are so euphoric," says Irmgard Konin, director of Fides, a Catholic counseling center for people interested in religion in the center of Cologne. This year, she accompanied five refugees on their way to baptism. One of them is called Jacob. "He is so passionate about everything that it simply enriches the community," enthused Koninova.
A new language, a new religion
Jakov is from Afghanistan. He arrived in Cologne to finally be baptized. There are many reasons why people decide to convert to another religion, says Irmgard Konin. "Some of them want to simply leave the Islam of their country of origin behind. They say that Christianity is the true religion - the religion of love." Others, he says, want to identify with Germany in that way. "If they already live here, then they want to be Christians," says Koninova.
But always when Muslim refugees are baptized in Germany and convert to Christianity, there is a suspicion that they are doing it to improve their chances of getting asylum. The discussion on that topic flared up due to the case of an Afghan man who was baptized during his prison sentence and thus prevented the decision on deportation that had already been made. During the Christian holiday of All Souls, he killed a boy in the Bavarian refugee center in Arnschwang - and this is a sensitive case for both politics and the church.
Consistent expulsion of perpetrators of criminal acts
Politicians from almost all German parties have long demanded that perpetrators of criminal acts be consistently deported. The killer from Arnschwang was also supposed to be returned to Afghanistan, but the competent court in Munich stopped it. The reason: he converted from Islam to Christianity and is threatened with torture or even the death penalty in his homeland.
However, political pressure is growing. It is left to the Church to weakly check the seriousness of the baptized. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann demands that churches and courts "examine in detail whether someone has really converted to Christianity." The deputy chairman of the Association of German Criminal Officers, Ulf Kih, is fundamentally skeptical when it comes to the baptism of Muslim refugees. He believes that their conversion to another religion is "just a trick" in order to stay in the country. "When the expulsion of one criminal has failed simply because he converted to Christianity, then you should put two and two together."
Was the killer really a believing Christian? Was his conversion seriously checked or did he want to convert to Christianity only to secure a residence permit in Germany? The Administrative Court told DW that it was a complicated decision and that "the religious identity of a person, as something internal and personal, can only be established on the basis of the claims of the applicant for asylum". But perhaps the members of the religious community themselves could carry out a check and establish whether the conversion to Christianity was genuine or whether it was only an act that allows obtaining asylum.
How is faith proven?
The competent Federal Service for Migration and Refugees considers that a baptismal certificate is not sufficient proof of conversion to another religion. "The applicant for asylum must prove that upon his return to his homeland, due to the practice of his religion, he would be threatened with persecution, which would be relevant for obtaining asylum in Germany," said the Service in response to DW's inquiry. And further: "It is generally left to Christian communities not to faithfully accompany persons who are preparing for baptism."
In Germany, the bishops' conference is told that baptism and admission to the church are preceded by preparation and verification that lasts a month. And this applies to all those who are preparing for baptism, regardless of origin and cultural background. The long and conscientious path of following someone to baptism also represents a certain kind of intimidation so that there are no abuses, according to Klaus Hagedorn, coordinator of refugee assistance in the Cologne Archdiocese. He says that he is sometimes called by those who help refugees who would prevent their deportation by baptizing them: "We react by not baptizing them."
The Bishops' Conference of Germany, as well as the Evangelical Church in that country, do not see a connection between the influx of refugees and the increased number of baptisms. Thomas Zimmerman from the Evangelical Church claims that during the past year, less than ten adults were baptized in all affiliated church communities in the diocese of Cologne.
Fear of persecution
During the preparation for baptism, Irmgard Konin also talks about the topic - asylum. Because, when they convert, it means that they are threatened with persecution in their old homeland. "In 99 percent of cases, it is a matter of genuine interest in receiving the faith that frees them, but this also poses the danger of a rift with the family," Koninova continues to tell DW. "Two men really gave up this year precisely because they were threatened with expulsion. They were afraid of reprisals in their homeland".
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