"We should not permit state discrimination on religious grounds to continue in a democracy like Germany."
- MATT SALMON American congressional representativeWashington DC, USA
October 22, 1999
dpaScientology Resolution in the USA
Representatives accuse Germany of discriminationAmerican congressional representatives have proposed a resolution in which the German government is criticized for discrimination against religious minorities. The presentation dealt with the treatment of the Scientology organization in Germany.
Similar resolutions failed in 1997 and 1998 in the House of Representatives. At the presentation of the papers in Washington, their main author, Representative Matt Salmon, said, "We should not permit state discrimination on religious grounds to continue in a democracy like Germany." He said that Germany violated human rights with its handling of religious minorities. In the yearly reports of the American State Department and the UN, these kind of cases of discrimination in Germany continued to be referenced.
Protection of the Freedom of Belief
Among other things, the congressmen's criticism stated that, in Germany, members of the Scientology organization were persecuted, denounced and boycotted, and kept out of civil service and political parties. It was said that the German government was responsible for protecting the freedom of belief of members of the American state in Germany. The resolution called upon President Bill Clinton to express his concern about religious discrimination to the German government.
"The problem of religious intolerance in Europe is great," said the chairman of the Committee for International Relations in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ben Gilman. "The German government must begin a dialogue with us about this discrimination." Film actress Ann Archer demanded religious freedom in Germany. "Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses, Orthodox Jews and the Scientology Church suffer in Germany under a climate of religious intolerance," said Archer.
Numerous celebrities and stars from film, TV and the music industries are members of the Scientology Organization, which has the status of a church in the USA. The new proposal is supported by 26 U.S. Congressmen so far.