RELIGIOUS FREEDOM | MAY 17, 2026

When Religion Became a Liability

For decades, Scientologists in Germany faced a question few citizens in democratic societies ever expect to confront: Could their religion cost them their livelihood?

One airport engineer learned the answer firsthand.

Despite professional qualifications and employment history, his Scientology beliefs became grounds for exclusion and suspicion within an environment shaped by years of government hostility toward Scientologists.

Cases like this became increasingly common during Germany’s anti-Scientology campaign.

Cases like this became increasingly common during Germany’s anti-Scientology campaign. Careers stalled. Security clearances became vulnerable. Contracts disappeared. Religious belief itself became treated as a professional risk.

The climate was reinforced by intelligence surveillance, public warnings and the spread of “sect filters” discouraging employers and institutions from associating with Scientologists.

And yet after nearly 30 years of investigations and surveillance, German authorities have now ended the operation without proving the very allegations used to justify it.

For those who lived through the discrimination, the consequences remain long after the files are closed.

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