USA condemns German Scientology politics -
complains of lack of religious freedom all over the worldWashington, USA
September 9, 1999
AFPThe USA has criticized the "sect filter" which German companies and agencies use to protect themselves against infiltration by the Scientology organization. The security statements which are demanded of [German] employees were said to be discriminatory, stated the U.S. State Department's first status report on worldwide religious freedom. Altogether the U.S. State Department published a well-weighed opinion of the German handling of the organization. In the past, Scientology's complaints about its treatment in Germany as led to ill feelings between the German government and U.S. agencies.
According to the report, the USA has brought its objections to the "sect filter" multiple times in the course of the past year to [German] representatives of nation and state. They said it was a violation of human rights if Scientologists were hindered in the practice of their profession because of their belief alone. Nevertheless, the U.S. State department also quoted the words of the Bavarian State government that no Scientologist, just by reason of his connection to the organization, had lost his [work] position in Bavaria. Unlike the USA, Scientology is not recognized in Germany as a church. The number of German Scientologists in the report were given as about 8,000.
The U.S. State Department also went hard in the face of the Chinese government. The practice of religious freedom in China was said to be greatly hindered. Victims of persecution and oppression were said to be Christians who did not belong to recognized churches, Buddhist monks and nuns, Tibetans and Moslem figures. Religious freedom was also alleged to have been kicked down in Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Laos and Vietnam. *<"The majority of the earth's population lives in countries in which religious freedom is restricted or not available">, said the report.
loew/cs/smo
(AFP)
*<"The citation in angled brackets like this is not a true quote, but has been translated from English to German back to English."> .. translator