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.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 a
report in The Guardian. One in four confirmations conducted by the bishop of
Bradford, Toby Howarth, over the past year were of converts from Islam. Most
were Iranian and most of those were asylum seekers.