of the german courts i'm not worried about that in the least then they should just send me to prison. when berlin's church of the holy trinity was built a century or so ago the basement was meant to be used as a fellowship hall but now it's become home to refugees most of them from iran and afghanistan protestant pastor dr got freed martin's has granted them church sanctuary the immigration authority and the police don't get past the door. now we're entering an area that at present not even the church members are allowed into so we can maintain the security. and also here in this area there's a quarantine room for newcomers. but when they come to us they have to go into

quarantine for 14 days before they can live in the community with the others. that someone is in there now no no no he's done and another one of them only one person has just been released and now the other one goes in. you know. the big fellowship area only a little spaces left. on this side we have the sleeping quarters where our church refugees can spend the night. nothing conan does you know this is a room with a kitchenette a little fellowship room and it's a kind of living room for the refugees from increasing as a line. the room is generally housed 10 men are so they are all slated for deportation and only allowed to remain in germany until their data arrives most of them profess a christian faith and actively practice it. that means they pronounced islam and

act punishable by death in iran the right comes from tehran knows he cannot return to iran he's trying to adjust to life in germany and learn the language we feel in the morning we ease the wall. belief. mandate you know. you know iran i wasn't allowed to press christianity officially learn more about christianity in your thora tease would have arrested or killed me. call and then. the only opportunity i had to be active in it was through the internet and my own research and i was a member of a home congregation. commander and i would hear you so much when it all came out that i received threats and my family came under pressure they intimidated me.

more sure that you should wear those. in the church the rat has gained a reputation for his delicious soup. when he fled iran he passed to bulgaria and romania and eventually arrived in germany. i could put up close to what. he knocked on the church door and pastor martens let him in. than i was a really. big if i told the hungry person jesus loves you and then sent them away without giving them something to eat so if i saw someone whose life was in danger and didn't take action. it would if i did that i'd completely destroy my own credibility optative. even in germany christian converts often live dangerously

in the refugee shelters there are radical muslims who see converts as a past hate infidels and threaten the course this is what happened to alice a lot of afghanistan. i'm out of those i had a roommate at the refugee shelter who is a muslim. who started when he saw me wearing a cross. it was disrespectful to me and threatened me that on the mic i reported it to the shelters managers and they warned him that the threats didn't stop. even trying to throw me out the window on the 5th floor and jump out. over the past 15 years well over a 1000 refugees have found sanctuary with pastor martens now they make up the majority of his congregation most of the german members are getting on in years many of them help out the refugees with learning german for example often converts

the pastor to baptize them 1st they have to attend a preparation course regularly among the topics of the christian doctrine and differences to islam at this session they discuss the church position on divorce the neophytes complete the course with an exam. well this is kinds a this is no a guaranteed pass. i've had some courses where over half the students fail and only when these people have convinced me beyond any doubt that they seriously desire to become christians and that they understand why they want to become christians and i baptize them if somebody were just to say i want to become a christian because i think islam is silly that's not reason enough for me to baptize them since we're told. they're right and elissa locke both attend the preparation course at the church regularly they hope to be ready for their baptism by easter night the principal church service before the resurrection of christ.

as a failure. i am already looking forward to the exam because i can get baptized afterwards i can be born again into a new eternal life for us so i'm really looking forward to it. now get in on it with you i don't think i'm exam would be hard for me so it would not even know my thoughts are completely focused on the baptism that i'll be born again. i receive the peace i have always sought after in my life but even if they do convince the pastor that they quite seriously desire to become christian that means little to our thought is the decision on asylum applications is made on a case by case basis and is often anything but transparent. is him up he began and again i'm just stunned that this arrogance the decision makers and judges display when they say things like yes the pastor overlooked it for years but within

just 2 or 3 hours we figured out that something wasn't right here to me. the assumption is that refugees are just pretending to be christians to get asylum. or the german immigration authorities may see it that way. but to me that's what's most important is that in my heart i'm a christian. i'm not alone with my christian faith so i've already experienced that back in iran. you don't asylum and it was. but too often that fails to impress the authorities and the asylum seekers often hear cynical arguments as to why they are to be sent back to their home countries that's obvious god lets them just last week i read a transcript of a hearing where at the end of the decision maker said these are you say that you believe in eternal life then it shouldn't be any problem for you to go back to iran

and actually be sentenced to death because then you get eternal life then you should aspire to it to the book common wish to be. zoe read stuff like that week after week. that was a direct quote the cynicism and unfairness only served to spur pastor martens on in his efforts as a rule germany tolerates the churches granting sanctuary to asylum seekers to save them from deportation currently that totals about 500 people in germany even so time and again legal action has been taken against clergy who offer sanctuary in their churches. i'm not worried about that in the least then they should just send me to prison a good thing compared to what's in store for our people in iran and afghanistan even a prison in germany is still a luxury. pastor

martin visits id in an iranian who was paralyzed in an accident. by dean can't come to the church so the pastor administers communion to him at home . 35 year old i.d.n. had already come in contact with the christian faith in iran but that drew the attention of the authorities to him the muslim clergy have openly stated that they see the biggest threat to iran's internal security in underground christian communities meanwhile more and more iranians are taking ideas view of islam the state religion. never is in iraq because by that the relationship will be quite good for we can't leave to be to give the evil form because you should marry is. this not good

e.c.u. of muslim and changes the leisure it's very very devout. a service at the church of the holy trinity the refugees have come up from below to join in but because of the pandemic only a very few worshippers who registered in advance are allowed to take part. ringback in the all 58 year old pastor martens preaches and farsi it's become routine for him he's taught it to himself over the years he has no family of his own he's devoted his life entirely to working for his congregation . the next step for elisa law and paradis baptism. are and their mother is a massive moment my future lies in the wholeness of jesus christ all of them of the

through he'll have a good plan for my life again will i trust all that. man 2000 a year i've had problems to deal with since my early childhood that's again of course but when i look back now i know that jesus christ has always helped me. quarter. by way of the baptism i want to be with him always on the town for the on the way for us not to kosher. so often in the mean time both have passed their baptism exam if the pandemic allows they'll be baptized into the christian face on easter night but whether that will convince the authorities to grant them asylum is another matter. the.

mind of the facades of congo's ultra wealthy. rich and famous in one of the world's poorest countries who was responsible for this in the democratic republic of the congo and most importantly how are they doing it. 1000000 years of. cysteine minutes on t.w. . with him had to be done because others were lying you know if i had known the boat would be that small i never would have gone on a trip to you i would not have put myself and my paris on that danger to the bottom 16 with the to give us leave for a. mother and son to put that one little bit of the give them i had serious

problems on a personal level and i was unable to live there but it might i'm going to. want to know their story and for my friends 1st fight against global information for margaret's. let's get right to the heart of. the times are good for the big. warming doesn't. jump of the most well not yet if the. industry is controlling your thoughts the great books of the 20th century. present a hoax alludes. to upgrade memory. securing ignorance starts may 3rd.

this is d.w. news live from berlin jordan's king signals a tough lied on dissent in the royal family government officials insist a former crown prince is part of the cops to destabilize the kingdom prince hamza stays he's being silenced for speaking out against corruption also coming up. pressure mounts on benjamin netanyahu the 1st witnesses already in the israeli prime minister's corruption trial and the country's president prepares to launch a coalition told us that could see as a young.