Religious Apartheid: 1996 – Official Repression of Minority Religious Rights in Germany
erman officials continue to exploit tension towards minority religions for political gain, by discriminating against Scientologists through exclusionary political party resolutions denying Scientologists the right to participate in the political process by membership in political parties, and by advocating discriminatory government measures to impede the religion and ostracize its parishioners.
The Christian Democratic Union prohibits membership to Scientologists. The CDU application for membership requires one to declare that “they are not a member of the Scientology sect.”74 Scientologists who were members of the party prior to the adoption of this undemocratic exclusionary policy continue to be systematically targeted for expulsion due to their personal religious beliefs.
In April of 1995, Mr. Thomas Rothfuss received a letter from the President of the CDU District Office in Ludwigsburg which demanded that Mr. Rothfuss renounce his affiliation with Scientology within 14 days or leave the CDU.75 In May of 1995, Mr. Wilfried Ulbricht, a member of the CDU for many years, also received a demand from the party that he renounce his affiliation with Scientology or leave the CDU.76 In December of 1994, Paul Arenz, a respected citizen of Mechernich in Northrhine-Westphalia and a member in good standing of the Christian Democratic Party for 25 years, was expelled from the CDU by a CDU Party Court decision once his religious association with Scientology became public. This determination was supported by the Federal Minister of Labor, Norbert Blüm, who is Chairman of the CDU in Northrhine-Westphalia and Deputy Chairman of the Federal CDU.77 In July of 1994, the CDU District Party Court of Middle Hessia expelled Thomas and Dagmar Röder and Wilfried and Ellen Herkt from the party because they are parishioners of the hurch of Scientology.78
The Young Union publishes and disseminates a booklet entitled “InSects - No Thank You!” which depicts insects, supposed to be minority religions in Germany, about to be exterminated by a fly swatter held in the hands of the Young Union.79 This publication is chilling. Not only does it inspire violence by a cover which graphically promotes extermination, it also contains insidious propaganda against Scientology and other minority religions to promote hatred and intolerance. In March of 1995, a spokesperson for the Young Union announced that it would publish a new version of these booklets directed at Scientology which would be more vitriolic.80
In October of 1995, the Federal Minister of Labor, Norbert Blüm, spoke at the opening of an “Enlightenment Campaignz” of the Young Union in Baden-Württemberg. Blüm called upon people of all political parties to “fight” Scientology.81 The Chairman of the Young Union in Baden-Württemberg also spoke and called for an investigation of all public officials to determine if any are associated with Scientology.82
In May of 1995, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) issued a decision that affiliation with Scientology is “incompatible” with membership in SPD.83 Like the CDU, this decision is premised upon false and derogatory conclusions bereft of factual support which completely misrepresent the principles and beliefs of Scientology in order to stigmatize Scientologists and to justify the decision to disenfranchise the rights of SPD members simply because of their association with Scientology.