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Germany: No Scientology Ban

Letter to the Editor

The chairman of the German Conference of Ministers of Interior said on the weekend that the controversial Church of Scientology will not be banned in Germany.

The head of the secret service of the German State of Brandenburg who also is the chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers in Germany broke the news on the weekend that "Scientology will not be banned" in Germany. A year ago plans in this direction had been announced broadly and reported about internationally.

A secret 46-page report on Scientology of the German internal secret service, Office for Protection of the Constitution was leaked to the media earlier last month and revealed that the German government had not found any evidence for criminal or anti-constitutional activities of the Church of Scientology and strongly recommended not to start a banning procedure.

The news agency ddp reports (a somewhat English translation): Schönbohm: Scientology will not be banned Berlin. The controversial Scientology Organization may not be in fear of being banned in Germany. "We have come to the result that a banning would not be helpful", the Brandenburg minister of interior Schonbohm said to Welt am Sonntag according to a report.

Schonbohm is chairman of the Conference of Ministers of Interior (CMI) that is coming together in Potsdam on Wednesday. Last year the CMI conference had ordered the Secret Service to check for a ban per the association law. Schönbohm now said to have had a skeptical viewpoint since the very beginning. "We tend to forbid ideas when thinking them to be not fully correct. But we live in a liberal and democratic society where freedom of opinion is of high value", he said. He wishes more trust in democracy. "I consider someone a coward who believes seriously to be at risk because of 5,000 Scientologists", Schönbohm said.

http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/430552/index.do?_vl_backlink=/home/index.do

More information in the German and French media:

http://www.welt.de/wams_print/article2732204/Warum-Scientology-in-Deutschland-nicht-verboten-wird.html

http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/politik/article979103/Scientology_wird_nicht_verboten.html

http://www.pr-inside.com/de/scientology-verbot-offenbar-vom-tisch-r918547.htm

http://www.la-croix.com/afp.static/pages/081115161208.owbv54iu.htm

http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=200002&sid=9975240&cKey=1226769971000