by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
VLISSINGEN, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Several Syrians who converted from Islam to Christianity while staying at a Dutch asylum seekers’ center in the southwestern port city of Vlissingen were threatened after publicly professing their faith through baptism, church leaders and politicians said.
Provincial lawmaker Lizo Koppejan of the Dutch ChristenUnie (Christian Union) party said threats against the converts intensified after Sunday’s baptism service at the asylum seekers’ center in Vlissingen, a coastal city in Zeeland province known for its major North Sea harbor.
“One of the Syrians felt so unsafe that he spent a night outside the asylum center,” Dutch newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad (Reformed Daily) quoted him as saying.
The baptisms took place May 17 during a joint worship service of the Reformed church De Levensbron (“The Source of Life”) in the southwestern Dutch town of Goes and the Christian outreach ministry Huis van Vrede (“House of Peace”).
Four Syrian men from the Vlissingen asylum center were among fourteen mainly Arab believers who publicly professed faith in Jesus Christ during the gathering. Thirteen people were baptized, while a newborn baby was also baptized alongside the child’s mother.
CONVERTS FACE THREATS
According to Koppejan, the Syrian converts had already faced intimidation from what he described as “extremist Muslims” because they attended church services and Bible meetings.
However, he said the situation worsened significantly after the baptisms.
One of the converts reportedly had “an iron rod pushed against his throat,” while threatening the WhatsApp service, and voicemail messages were also sent.
Arabic-speaking pastor Sarmad Al-Anbary confirmed that he had heard and seen the threatening messages.
“In some of the messages there is an Arabic word meaning they should be killed as apostates from Islam,” he said.
One of the Syrian converts reportedly felt so unsafe that he spent the night at Vlissingen railway station rather than returning to the asylum center.
ASYLUM CENTERS UNDER PRESSURE
The Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, known by its Dutch acronym COA, confirmed there had been “tensions between several residents” in recent days and acknowledged that religion played a role.
The Netherlands currently hosts tens of thousands of asylum seekers in reception centers that have come under mounting pressure due to overcrowding and rising migration flows.
In recent weeks, several Dutch asylum centers have seen unrest and violent protests, including in the village of Loosdrecht near Amsterdam, where riots erupted over plans to house dozens of mostly single male asylum seekers.
Critics say many asylum centers are dominated by young men from Islamic countries such as Syria, creating tensions for converts to Christianity and other vulnerable groups.
CALLS FOR ACTION
Dutch Member of Parliament Don Ceder condemned the reported threats.
“Christian refugees who fled persecution must feel safe in the Netherlands,” he said. “It is unacceptable that they face persecution again in an asylum center.”
He urged the Dutch government to take immediate action to protect vulnerable converts and restore safety inside asylum facilities.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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