Religious Apartheid 1997 – Continuing Official Repression of Minority Religious Rights in Germany
As documented below, Scientologists in Germany continue to be systematically stripped of their fundamental rights and reduced to second class citizens. The 1995 United States State Department Human Rights Report, released in March 1996, contained the following analysis on human rights concerns regarding Scientology in Germany:
Members of the Church of Scientology continue to allege both social and government-condoned harassment, such as being fired from a job or expelled from (or not permitted to join) a political party. Major German political parties exclude Scientologists from membership, arguing that Scientology is not a religion but a for-profit organization, whose goals and principles are inconsistent with those of political parties. Business firms whose owners or executives belong to the Church of Scientology may face boycotts and discrimination sometimes with governmental approval. Artists have been prevented from performing or displaying their works because of their Scientology membership. Public criticism of Scientologists by leading political figures increased during the year, with one Cabinet member publicly stating that Scientologists were unfit to serve as teachers, police officers, or professors.
Scientologists continue to take such grievances to court, and the courts have frequently ruled in their favor.1
Regrettably, the German government continues to ignore these human rights violations, continues to refuse to admit that they even exist, and continues to refuse to enter into a dialogue to seek resolution of this problem.
Repressive government measures directed at Scientologists continue to intensify despite findings by governmental authorities, including the Federal Minister of Interior, that there is no evidence against the Church which would legally justify these repressive actions. That is why international assistance and remedy is essential to counter the crippling effects of religious discrimination and to restore fundamental rights and freedoms which have been methodically stripped away.
This paper provides a summary of recent cases evidencing the ongoing pattern of gross violations of human rights experienced by Scientologists in Germany. German Scientologists have been systematically stripped of their fundamental rights and reduced to second class citizens simply because of their personal beliefs and religious association. The German government is directly responsible for creating this climate of intolerance towards Scientologists and members of other targeted minority religions in Germany in violation of legally binding human rights instruments.
The continued human rights violations against Scientologists in Germany have been the subject of human rights reports by international human rights organizations, the United Nations, the United States State Department, and the Helsinki Commission.
Minority religious intolerance in the Federal Republic of Germany remains a scourge at the heart of official repression that has shattered the cherished universal principle of religious tolerance. Human rights organizations, concerned citizens and responsible government officials must take effective action to bring an end to minority religious discrimination in today’s Germany.
| Previous | Glossary | Contents | Next |
| Your View | Related Sites | Home Page |
