More and more Muslim refugees have been converting to Christianity in Europe, according to reports from churches. And it appears many of those new believers have a strong and bold faith.
In Austria there have been at least 300 applications for adult christenings in the first three months of 2016 alone, with up to 70 percent of those said to be refugees.
At Berlin’s Trinity church the congregation has recently grown from 150 to almost 700.
In Hamburg more than 80 Muslim refugees from Iran and Afghanistan converted to Christianity and were baptized last week alone, according to news reports
One of the new converts told reporters: “I have been spat on, told that I’ve betrayed Islam, but through what I’ve learned I can forgive them.”
Another, a young woman, added, “Since I became a Christian I fear no one.”
Among the most popular reasons behind the conversion is faith in a new religion, triggered by “lack of freedom” in Islam, and gratitude to Christians offering help to refugees fleeing war-torn countries.
Shima, an Iranian refugee, told Stern magazine, “I’ve been looking all my life for peace and happiness, but in Islam, I have not found it. To be a Christian means happiness to me.”
On the flip side, living in a mostly Muslim community can turn out to be a real challenge for a Christian refugee. The risk is too great for most of them to convert.