United States Department of State

“ The Government does not recognize Scientology as a religion and views it as an economic enterprise, and Scientologists continued to report discrimination based on their beliefs. Federal and state classification of Scientology as a potential threat to democratic order has led to occasional attempts to exclude individuals practicing Scientology from government employment and from some sectors of business. ”

“ The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom. However, following a rise in the incidence of anti-Semitic crimes and an increase in public criticism of the Israeli Government's actions in the Middle East, Jewish community leaders expressed disappointment in some of the country's political leaders for not speaking out more forcefully against anti-Semitism. ”

“ Most religious organizations are registered and treated as nonprofit associations and therefore enjoy tax-exempt status. State level authorities review these submissions and routinely grant this status. Organizations must register at a local or municipal court and provide evidence (through their own statutes) that they are a religion and thus contribute socially, spiritually, or materially to society. Local tax offices occasionally conduct reviews of tax-exempt status.
In principle the Central Council of Jews represents the majority of Jewish congregations in the country. ”

“ The Church of Scientology, which operates 18 churches and missions, remained under scrutiny by both federal and state officials, who contend that its ideology is opposed to democracy. Since 1997 Scientology has been under observation by the Federal and State OPC's. In observing an organization, OPC officials seek to collect information, mostly from written materials and firsthand accounts, to assess whether a "threat" exists. ”

“ A nonreligious ethics course or study hall generally is available for students not wishing to participate in religious instruction. The issue of Islamic education in public schools is becoming topical in several states. In 2000 the Federal Administrative Court upheld previous court rulings that the Islamic Federation qualified as a religious community and as a result must be given the opportunity to provide religious instruction in Berlin schools. ”

“ The term "sect filter" is misleading because the declarations are Scientology-specific and in practice do not refer to any other group; they more accurately could be described as "Scientology filters." Firms that failed to submit a sect filter declaration were presumed "unreliable" and excluded from consideration. In response to concerns expressed by foreign governments and multinational firms unable to determine the religious affiliation of all their employees, the Economics Ministry limited the scope of the sect filter to consulting and training contracts in 2000. ”

“ The private sector on occasion has required foreign firms that wish to do business in the country to declare any affiliation that they or their employees may have with Scientology. Private sector firms that screen for Scientology affiliations frequently cited OPC observation of Scientology as a justification for discrimination. The Federal Property Office has barred the sale of some real estate to Scientologists, noting that the federal Finance Ministry has urged that such sales be avoided, if possible. ”

“ Statistical offices in the Evangelical Church estimate that 1.1 million church members (or 4 percent) attend weekly religious services. The Catholic Church has a membership of 27.2 million, or 33.4 percent of the population. According to the Church's statistics, 4.8 million Catholics (or 17.5 percent) actively participate in weekly services. According to government estimates, there are approximately 2.8 to 3.2 million Muslims living in the country (approximately 3.4 percent to 3.9 percent of the population.) ”

“ The Bavarian Interior Ministry commented that these were individual decisions, but withdrew the questionnaire for persons already employed with the State of Bavaria or the City of Munich; however, the questionnaire still was in use for persons seeking new state or municipal government employment. In one case, a person was not given civil service but only employee status (a distinction that involves important differences in levels of benefits) ; in another case, a person quit Scientology in order not to jeopardize his career. ”

“ Section III. Societal Attitudes The country increasingly is becoming secular. Regular attendance at religious services is decreasing. After more than 4 decades of Communist rule, the eastern part of the country had become far more secular than the western part. ”

“ Subsidies are paid out only to those buildings affected by the 1803 Napoleonic reforms. Newer buildings do not receive subsidies for upkeep. State governments also subsidize various institutions affiliated with public law corporations, such as church-run schools and hospitals. ”

“ Ananda Marga has 3,000 members; and Sri Chinmoy has 300 members.
Approximately 21.8 million persons, or 26.6 percent of the population, either have no religious affiliation or belong to unrecorded religious organizations. ”