Intolerance & Discrimination Against the Scientology Community in Germany Today
INTRODUCTION
n January 1997, the United States State Department issued its annual human rights report and focused international attention on a nation few immediately associate with massive human rights abuses—Germany.
That the foremost economic power in Europe would be ranked with such nations as Cuba, China, Nigeria and Afghanistan—all infamous for their assaults on human rights—was distressing enough. That this was the fourth year in a row Germany had been so targeted for ongoing discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities was even more shocking.
The State Department is prepared to take a major ally to task because the U.S. government has found compelling evidence that the rights of Scientologists in Germany have been violated. It is not simply a matter of isolated acts by a handful of prejudiced officials, but a calculated, coordinated campaign by the German government. It is the central role of the government in fomenting the discrimination that has led to investigation and criticism by the State Department and other international human rights agencies such as the United Nations.
Prejudice and Persecution
An indictment of prejudice and persecution enough to shame any democracy, the 1996 Report was the ninth such narrative to be issued by an international human rights body in four years. During this time, members of a diverse number of religious and ethnic groups have been banned from political parties, blacklisted, assaulted, firebombed and even murdered. Those targeted include Kurds, Turks, Vietnamese, Gypsies, Jews, Muslims, Charismatic Christians, members of the Unification Church and members of the Church of Scientology.
Attacks on Church of Scientology members have created the most controversy. The 1996 State Department report covered these abuses at length and determined that Germany’s conduct violated human rights dictates.
Many Scientologists are denied bank accounts. Children have been refused admittance to kindergarten because their parents are Scientologists. Even when admittance is granted, they are harassed at school by their teachers if their parents’ religion is known. Scientologists have been assaulted. Many of them have been fired from their jobs because of their religion and left with no means of support for their family. Some have been forced to emigrate to escape the discrimination.
The Church of Scientology in Hamburg received an ominous letter on Nazi letterhead complete with imperial eagle and swastika from the “Berlin Propaganda Ministry of the SS State Protection Department,” which claimed that the Church was under observation by the SS, and demanded that the Church of Scientology cease activities in Germany or suffer the consequences. Chillingly, the author of the letter added that Scientologists were being watched and that their home addresses had been listed in SS archives.
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