Christians shouldn’t fear Islamisation, says Merkel

Chancellor Angela Merkel looked set to clash with her political allies as they expressed fears about being overwhelmed by the influx of Middle East migrants, write Christa Pongratz-Lippitt and Abigail Frymann Rouch.

She said that Christians voicing concerns over Islamisation would do better to practise their faith.

In the first weekend since Germany allowed refugees to walk in numbers through its borders, 20,000 arrived in Munich seeking asylum, while last Saturday alone a further 10,000 arrived by train.

Many locals warmly welcomed the first refugees as they arrived at Munich railway station, but now senior members of the sister party to Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats party - the Bavarian-based Christian Social Union (CSU) – have labelled the policy a political mistake that is in danger of overwhelming the country.

Earlier, Mrs Merkel said that greater devotion to their own faith might help those Christians who feared Islamisation. Meanwhile in London, the head of the Anglican Church in North Africa Archbishop Mouneer Anis of Cairo, accused Western governments of lacking the will to resolve the conflicts  in the Middle East.