Iranian Muslims seeking asylum in Germany are reportedly
converting to Christianity at a high rate, and one Berlin church has
seen its membership jump from 150 to 600 in a short time, with most of
its new members being Muslim converts.
These new
believers have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and wish to
never return to their home country to the intense persecution from
radical groups like Islamic State.
Becoming a Christian
also helps migrants' and refugees' chances of staying in Germany, but
the pastor of the booming Berlin church isn't worried about the motives
behind the conversions.
"I know there are — again and again — people coming here
because they have some kind of hope regarding asylum," said Pastor
Gottfried Martens to Fox News. "I am inviting them to join us because I know that whoever comes here will not be left unchanged."
Gottfried
believes the Gospel message is really changing the hearts of these
Muslim men and women. He also told Fox that only 10 percent of these
converts fail to return to church after being baptized, Fox News
reported on Friday.
Asylum seekers in Germany are
expected to number close to 800,000 this year, according to Fox. Many of
these refugees come from countries where radical Islam has wreaked
havoc on their citizens, including countries like Syria, Iraq, Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
Not every German is celebrating the mass immigration of Muslims into their home country, however.
Pegida, an anti-Islamisation movement, staged a rally in
Germany back in January to protest the mass immigration of Muslim
refugees into the country. The group gathered close to 25,000 supporters
and used the 2014 terror attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in
France as fuel for their campaign.
"The terrible acts of Paris are further proof that PEGIDA is needed," said the group's founder, Lutz Bachman, in 2014.
Pegida's
actions were condemned by German politicians including Chancellor
Angela Merkel, who said its members "have hatred in their hearts."
Counter-rallies
that support Muslim immigration into Germany have drawn much larger
crowds, with close to 100,000 people attending a demonstration back in
January.
The alleged murder of a 20-year-old asylum
seeker also sparked support among many Germans. The victim was murdered
in Dresden and some refugees spoke out concerning their safety after the
incident.
"People treat us like enemies, there is hate
in their eyes, we don't dare go out, we need protection," said one of
the asylum seekers.
Source: Christian Funaro, Christian Post Reporter
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