ISLAMICIZATION OF EUROPE, OR CHRISTIANIZATION OF ISLAM?
by Peter J. Leithart
Tod Dreher summarized several reports that many Muslim refugees have converted to Christianity when they arrived in Europe.(1)
Harriet Sherwood at The Guardian reports: “At Trinity church in the Berlin suburb of Steglitz, the congregation has grown from 150 two years ago to almost 700, swollen by Muslim converts, according to Pastor Gottfried Martens. Earlier this year, churches in Berlin and Hamburg reportedly held mass conversions for asylum seekers at municipal swimming pools.”
Similar claims have emerged from Austria: “The Austrian Catholic church logged 300 applications for adult baptism in the first three months of 2016, with the Austrian pastoral institute estimating 70% of those converting are refugees. At Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral in the UK, a weekly Persian service attracts between 100 and 140 people. Nearly all are migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere in central Asia.”
According to an account from Nadette De Visser at the Daily Beast, “Hundreds of Pakistanis and Afghans have been lining up at a local swimming pool in Hamburg, Germany, to be baptized as Christians. In the Netherlands and Denmark, as well, many are converting from Islam to Christianity, and the trend appears to be growing. Indeed, converts are filling up some European churches largely forsaken by their old Christian flocks.” De Visser concludes, “judging by reports from different media outlets, it is safe to assume the number runs into the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands who say they want the Gospel.”
The Guardian piece focuses on an Iranian convert, Mohammad Eghtedarian, who has become a curate at Liverpool's Cathedral and is helping refugee converts with their asylum applications as he catechizes them. Eghtedarian's own story is a dramatic one: “His own journey, from the Iranian city of Shiraz to the UK, took him through half a dozen European countries, by truck, train and on foot. Destitute and terrified, he was offered practical and emotional support from Christians along the way. Before being granted asylum, Eghtedarian spent four months in Tinsley House detention centre, near Gatwick airport. ‘Every day was challenging and beautiful. Challenging because I didn’t know if they would deport me; beautiful because I was in the Lord’s hands. I promised the Lord: if you release me, I will serve you.'”
Some converts were already questioning Islam before migrating: Johannes, another Iranian, left Tehran for Vienna. Born into a Muslim family, the 32-year-old—who was previously called Sadegh—began questioning the roots of Islam at university. “I found that the history of Islam was completely different from what we were taught at school. Maybe, I thought, it was a religion that began with violence?” He was beaten for attending Bible studies in Tehran, and jumped at the chance to migrate to Austria when the opportunity opened.
Similar claims have emerged from Austria: “The Austrian Catholic church logged 300 applications for adult baptism in the first three months of 2016, with the Austrian pastoral institute estimating 70% of those converting are refugees. At Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral in the UK, a weekly Persian service attracts between 100 and 140 people. Nearly all are migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere in central Asia.”
According to an account from Nadette De Visser at the Daily Beast, “Hundreds of Pakistanis and Afghans have been lining up at a local swimming pool in Hamburg, Germany, to be baptized as Christians. In the Netherlands and Denmark, as well, many are converting from Islam to Christianity, and the trend appears to be growing. Indeed, converts are filling up some European churches largely forsaken by their old Christian flocks.” De Visser concludes, “judging by reports from different media outlets, it is safe to assume the number runs into the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands who say they want the Gospel.”
The Guardian piece focuses on an Iranian convert, Mohammad Eghtedarian, who has become a curate at Liverpool's Cathedral and is helping refugee converts with their asylum applications as he catechizes them. Eghtedarian's own story is a dramatic one: “His own journey, from the Iranian city of Shiraz to the UK, took him through half a dozen European countries, by truck, train and on foot. Destitute and terrified, he was offered practical and emotional support from Christians along the way. Before being granted asylum, Eghtedarian spent four months in Tinsley House detention centre, near Gatwick airport. ‘Every day was challenging and beautiful. Challenging because I didn’t know if they would deport me; beautiful because I was in the Lord’s hands. I promised the Lord: if you release me, I will serve you.'”
Some converts were already questioning Islam before migrating: Johannes, another Iranian, left Tehran for Vienna. Born into a Muslim family, the 32-year-old—who was previously called Sadegh—began questioning the roots of Islam at university. “I found that the history of Islam was completely different from what we were taught at school. Maybe, I thought, it was a religion that began with violence?” He was beaten for attending Bible studies in Tehran, and jumped at the chance to migrate to Austria when the opportunity opened.
(1) Islam, Christianity, & Europe’s Future
By ROD DREHER
A decade ago, futurist Daniel Bodanis said his “dangerous idea” is that the “hyper-Islamicist” critique of the West as a spent and declining force is true. Excerpt:
The first generation of immigrants from farm to city bring with them the attitudes of their farm world; the first generation of ‘migrants’ from blue collar city neighborhoods to upper middle class professional life bring similar attitudes of responsibility as well. We ignore what the media pours out about how we’re supposed to live. We’re responsible for parents, even when it’s not to our economic advantage; we vote against our short-term economic interests, because it’s the ‘right’ thing to do; we engage in philanthropy towards individuals of very different backgrounds from ourselves. But why? In many parts of America or Europe, the rules and habits creating those attitudes no longer exist at all.
When that finally gets cut away, will what replaces it be strong enough for us to survive?
But now, there are reports of conversions to Christianity among Muslim refugees in Europe:
A growing number of Muslim refugees in Europe are converting to Christianity, according to churches, which have conducted mass baptisms in some places.
Reliable data on conversions is not available but anecdotal evidence suggests a pattern of rising church attendance by Muslims who have fled conflict, repression and economic hardship in countries across the Middle East and central Asia.
Complex factors behind the trend include heartfelt faith in a new religion, gratitude to Christian groups offering support during perilous and frightening journeys, and an expectation that conversion may aid asylum applications.
At Trinity church in the Berlin suburb of Steglitz, the congregation has grown from 150 two years ago to almost 700, swollen by Muslim converts, according to Pastor Gottfried Martens. Earlier this year, churches in Berlin and Hamburg reportedly held mass conversions for asylum seekers at municipal swimming pools.
The Austrian Catholic church logged 300 applications for adult baptism in the first three months of 2016, with the Austrian pastoral institute estimating 70% of those converting are refugees.
An Anglican priest, once an Iranian Muslim refugee, says that yes, some are undoubtedly converting to make it easier to claim asylum. And the Anglican bishop of Bradford says:
“When we do confirmations, we work hard to make sure the person is serious. We all have mixed motives. But if someone says ‘I believe this’, who are we to make windows into people’s souls? The only thing I can do is see if people are still there a year later – and often they are.”
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