ARTICLE

Muslim Refugees Truly Turning To Christ Or A Means To An End?

News Image By PNW Staff February 18, 2017
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Conversions from Islam to Christianity are considered apostasy and in many Muslim countries, including Syria, are punishable by death. 

In Iran, the death penalty is not officially prescribed but such punishment is still carried out for those who turn away from Islam.  

So, it is no surprise that record numbers of refugee applications are coming from recent converts to Christianity. 

Hoping to bolster their asylum applications in any way they can, the extreme risks associated with being Christian in countries such as Syria or Yemen can make a valid case for the need to flee. 

This, however, raises the question whether the conversions are authentic or merely a ploy to bring their families out of desperate situations of poverty, violence and chaos.


In the first three months of 2016, the church in Austria recorded as many as 300 applicants for adult baptism and it was estimated that 70% of those were from refugees. 

Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral now holds a weekly worship service in Farsi that ministers to a congregation of between 100 and 140 immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan.

Across Europe, mass baptisms are now being conducted but reliable, cross-border and multi-denominational data is not easy to collect, so the extent of the movement is not fully understood. 

Numerous instances of anecdotal evidence strongly suggest a pattern of widespread conversion to Christianity by former Muslims. 

But how many of these are sincere and how many are an attempt to game the system for asylum?

In Austria, the Bishop's Conference issued new guidelines in 2015 that warn priests of refugees who try to increase their asylum chances with baptism. 

The guidelines state that "Admitting persons for baptism who are during the official procedure classified as 'not credible' leads to a loss in the church's credibility across the whole of Austria." 

Now applicants who express their desire to convert to Christianity in Austria must pass a one-year "preparation period" during which they are assessed. 

The church looks to see a "noticeable interest in the faith that extends beyond merely the wish to obtain a piece of paper," according to Friederike Dostal, the preparation course coordinator for Vienna's archdiocese. 

"We are not interested in proforma Christians. You have to be able to register some kind of process of change in people." 

In 5-10% of cases, applicants discontinued their courses before baptism.

Without a doubt, a great many of the conversions are heartfelt and stem from the incredible and compassionate aid offered by Christian groups to desperate families in need across the Middle East. 

One man, Ibrahim Ali, a 57-year-old Syrian who fled the violence in Lebanon with his family has now been baptized. 

He fled the violence of Aleppo in 2011 to earn enough money to bring his family out, but after his employer absconded with three years of his wages, he found himself starving and desperate. 

He met an Iraqi Christian at a cafe in Beirut who told him of food being distributed at an Anglican church in exchange for Bible school attendance. "Almost everyone attending the classes was Muslim. 

Mostly Syrian and Iraqi refugees. I'd never seen anything like it - Muslims singing about Jesus," Mr. Ali commented. He was baptized some months later.

Other refugees make their desperation clear, according to Pastor Said Deeb from the Church of God, the church that baptized Ibrahim Ali. Past Deeb, who sees many dozens of refugees come to his church every week, said, "I have people begging me to help them become Christian," 

They think it will help them claim asylum abroad. They say 'just baptize me, I will believe in whoever just to leave here'." 

Faced with the choice of starving to death or possibly being murdered, it is difficult to fault even the asylum seekers who convert only to escape, but converting carries its own set of dangers.

Pastor Deeb explains that "even if they come for the food and clothing, we see that God changes their hearts. "We never force anyone into the religion, it must be their choice, they must accept Jesus."
 
Those who do decide to convert are faced with being shunned by their communities or often prefer to see them dead. 

Pastor Deeb himself has reported dozens of calls from the relatives of converts who threaten to kill him for aiding in apostasy. 

Ibrahim Ali's own family held a funeral for him when they learned of his conversion, preferring to think of him as dead rather than a Christian.

Take the story of Mohammad Eghtedarian, an immigrant from Iran who converted to Christianity and continued to grow in the faith until he was later ordained as a curate who now serves at the Liverpool Cathedral. 

He recalls how, after a journey through numerous countries, destitute, terrified and on the edge of starvation, he was helped by Christians both financially and emotionally.

Now he seeks not only to spread the Gospel but to give back to others in need.

Who better to bring converts to Christ? "People are desperate," Eghtedarian explains, "They spend a lot of money and waste a lot of money. They are vulnerable, abused and sometimes they have been raped. 

The experience of being a refugee was degrading and dehumanizing." Yet not everyone involved in the process is as charitable or honest as Mr. Eghtedarian.

There are now reports that in Germany, newly arrived Afghani and Iranian immigrants who have applied for asylum are being represented by Muslim interpreters who deliberately misinterpret the refugees at their legal proceedings in order to have their asylum requests rejected. 

Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens wrote to his followers that "The almost exclusively Muslim translators deliberately stick the knife in our congregational members by falsely translating what they say." 


At this time, the Federal Ministry for Immigration and Refugees is rejecting nearly all their Christian congregational members from Afghanistan and Iran and sending them deportation notices, he wrote to his followers. 

Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel in September 2015 went out of her way to reiterate that Islam "belongs in Germany".

Back in Liverpool, Mr. Eghtedarian recognizes that the factors that compel a Muslim to convert are often complex. 

"People are desperate for a better life and sometimes they will lie for it; that's understandable." 

Parents faced with seeing their family starved or be murdered may be forgiven for feigning a conversion, he seems to imply, but adds, "We have a mission to give them the message of Christ - a message of peace, salvation and freedom. 

The only person who knows what's in people's hearts is God. It is not for me to judge."

There is a process in place at Liverpool Cathedral. Newcomers are registered and attendance is recorded, for official purposes. 

There is a stipulated number of 5 classes of baptism preparation. If requested, the Church provides documentation to immigration officials as evidence of a refugee's conversion process.

When pressed on the question of whether some refugees pretend conversion only to improve their asylum application chances, Eghtedarian replied, "Yes, of course. 

Plenty of people. I do understand there are a lot of mixed motives. There are many people abusing the system - I'm not ashamed of saying that. 

But is it the person's fault or the system's fault? And who are they deceiving? The Home Office, me as a pastor, or God?"




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