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Danish Red Cross: Christian converts not being harassed in asylum centres
Shifa Rahaman
July 4th, 2016
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This article is more than 8 years old.
According to a survey conducted by Kristeligt Dagblad, 40 percent of recent converts to Christianity report feeling harassed as a consequence of their decision to leave Islam
The Danish Red Cross is at odds with a recent survey which says that refugees who convert to Christianity are harassed in asylum centres.
Some 40 percent of refugees who are recent converts report being harassed, according to a survey published in Kristeligt Dagblad. The survey received a response from 14 of the 41 priests who received it. According to those responses, 103 of 228 converts had been made a target due to their decision to leave Islam.
However, a study done by the Danish Red Cross in January seemed to contradict the recent survey, according to Carsten Isaksen, a manager at the Danish Red Cross.
No concrete data
Isaksen said that there was no concrete data to back up the claims in the report in Kristeligt Dagblad.
“In January 2016, we undertook a large survey of 491 residents, who were asked to score their level of comfort and confidence living in asylum centers run by the Red Cross,” Isaksen told Metroxpress.
“On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, the answer averaged 4.16. There were also no clear trends which demonstrated that certain groups were less confident than others.”
Serious issue
However, he was also quick to note that the Danish Red Cross took any allegation of harassment very seriously.
“We would like to emphasize that we take harassment very seriously,” he said.
“Therefore, residents are always encouraged to report any negative experiences to our staff, who then act accordingly.”
He also confirmed that the Danish Red Cross was open to examining the issue further.
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