Welfare Office Pays Benefits Unconditionally Out of Fear of Koran Reader
A German job center exempted a Syrian welfare recipient from employment services due to safety concerns while continuing monthly payments until 2027, a practice the state labor ministry called unlawful.
The individual in question is Amer G., a well-known figure in the city of Witten who regularly recites the Koran in public spaces. He arrived in Germany from Syria in 2015.
Internal documents from the Ennepe-Ruhr district job centre reportedly reveal that the single man continues to receive 563 euros per month in citizen’s allowance, with his current approval period extending until July 2027. G. currently resides in a homeless shelter, meaning no additional housing costs are disbursed to him.
According to a job centre employee, he has not been regularly invited to meetings about taking up employment for years. Participation in standard employment measures and concrete job offers have also been largely discontinued.
Internal Memo Cited Safety Concerns
The special treatment reportedly began with an internal note dated 7 August 2023. Staff members concluded that employment placement was not feasible given the man’s background. The key justification stated that potential dangerous situations should not be provoked.
The agency classified G. as exempt from activation requirements. His wife and children were reportedly brought to safety in a women’s shelter away from him in 2020. A more recent file designates a non-activation phase running until 7 December 2026, with the Syrian listed internally as a client who has been conceptually deferred.
Three months before the August 2023 decision, G.’s probation officer allegedly contacted the job centre requesting that staff not provoke the man. An integration coach initially objected, noting that no such procedure exists under law. However, after consultation with team leadership, regular employment services were effectively suspended.
State Ministry Says Practice Is Unlawful
The North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Labour stated generally that removing someone from active job placement solely because of potential danger is unlawful and not provided for under legislation. The Federal Employment Agency likewise recognises no such exception, though it has no jurisdiction over the Ennepe-Ruhr district job centre, which operates independently.
The district refused to provide any information about Amer G. citing data protection. It stated generally that appointment obligations remain possible for deferred benefit recipients and that at least one personal meeting per year should take place. The authority did not answer whether such appointments with G. actually occurred.
The handling of this case contradicts the state government’s employment placement initiative, which explicitly targets all benefit recipients and aims to strengthen personal contact between job centres and the unemployed.
Amer G. has for years walked through Witten publicly reciting Koranic verses, sometimes in the early morning hours. Residents have repeatedly complained about the volume, with some reportedly taking temporary refuge in hotels due to the nighttime recitations. Fines imposed by the city have so far failed to permanently end the performances.
With information from Junge Freiheit
