‘Assembly-line baptism’: judicial discussions of ‘free churches’ in German and Austrian asylum hearings

Abstract

We explore judges’ perceptions of asylum court appeals based on conversion from Islam to Christianity. Our court ethnography in Germany and Austria in 2018 and 2019 provides an insight into how such claims are discussed during appeals. At the time they were increasingly common, especially concerning Iranians and Afghans involved in ‘free churches’ (e.g. Evangelical, Pentecostal or charismatic). We show how rumours, congregations’ reputations and assumptions about baptism and what genuine conversions entail are discussed. These factors can not only influence appellants’ cases, but reveal church-state tensions and some of the intractable challenges of refugee status determination.