Close to 80 Muslims at a refugee camp in
Hamburg, Germany, have been baptized into
Christianity despite the ongoing physical and
sexual abuse that Christian converts face at
such camps in the Western country.
“While Christian converts suffer in great
measures at the hands of their Muslim
neighbors in Germany, around 80 refugees
were recently baptized into Christianity,” International Christian Concern, a persecution watchdog group, noted on Tuesday.
Mohabat News reported that Pastor Albert Babajan conducted the mass baptism of
refugees at the camp in Hamburg, revealing
that one of the main motives for their
conversion is disappointment with Islam.
Shima, one of the converts to Christianity,
explained her decision, saying, “I’ve been
looking all my life for peace and happiness, but
in Islam, I have not found it. To be a Christian
means happiness to me.”
Babajan admitted that some of the refugees
who choose to convert to Christianity might be
doing so because they fear they might be killed
if they are sent back home to their home
countries, where they face terrorism from
radical groups.
The pastor revealed, however, that he has a
way of telling whether a person is genuine in
their conviction.
“Because the Christian faith changed the way
of thinking, the world view. If someone told me
that at night he can sleep again or an old
enemy could forgive, then I know that in his
heart he is a Christian,” he said.
Although many refugees are seeking
protection at German refugee camps, a major report by watchdog group Open Doors earlier in May found out that there have been over
300 incidents of Christians being physically or
sexually assaulted by Muslims in refugee
camps in the country.
A number of such incidents have been
downplayed by German authorities who are
fearful of growing anti-immigration sentiments
in the country, the report alleged, however.
“Despite increased reports about this problem
by the media, charities, human rights
organizations, church leaders and Christian
organizations, German authorities and
politicians have hardly ever launched an
investigation,” the watchdog group warned.
“Instead, we believe that incidents are
deliberately downplayed and even covered up.
During confidential discussions with
researchers from Open Doors, it has become
known that even in police stations, religiously
motivated attacks on Christian refugees are not documented as such,” it added.
Back in September 2015, a church in Berlin also
reported that it had experienced a large spike
in its membership, from 150 to 600 in a short
time, due to Iranian Muslim asylum seekers converting to Christianity.
Pastor Gottfried Martens of Trinity Lutheran
Church in Berlin noted that some of the
converts are hoping that their new-found
Christian status might help them better their
chances of staying in Germany, but said he isn’t
worried about the motives.
“I know there are — again and again —
people coming here because they have some
kind of hope regarding asylum,” Martens told
Fox News back then.”I am inviting them to join
us because I know that whoever comes here
will not be left unchanged.”
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