An Afghan migrant attacked a woman at an asylum centre in Austria because she was reading a bible.

The attack took place in the town on Timelkam in the state of Upper Austria. The attacker was a 22-year-old migrant from Afghanistan who became annoyed that the 50-year-old woman had been invited by Christian residents to read the bible.

Austrian paper Kronen Zeitung says he ran into the kitchen where the woman was talking and attempted to stab her in her upper body. Her thick winter coat protected from serious harm, however she fell and injured her ear due the force of the blow.

Police arrived at the scene and arrested the migrant. He admitted he had overreacted, although he told police this was due to “personal problems”. He also stated that he had never seen the woman before the attack.

There have been numerous incidents of Christians coming under attack in migrant centres across Europe.

One charity said that over 700 Christians have been attacked in German asylums homes since May 2016, with the majority of perpetrators being Muslim.

Christian charity Open Doors said that 83 per cent of the cases reported included multiple assaults, while almost half of victims claim they have received death threats from fellow migrants. Another 44 said they had been sexually assaulted.

Over 90 per cent of the attackers were Muslim, and in 205 cases the attackers were not only Muslim but also guards at the centres.

Breitbart London also reported in August how an Iranian-born German politician who converted to Christianity said that Christians face ongoing persecution in migrant homes.

Mahin Mousapour said Christians in asylum centres were being told they are “impure as a dog”.

“Toys of Christian children are being destroyed, Christian asylum seekers are told not only to wash their dishes after eating but also that they must clean the entire kitchen as it would otherwise be ‘unclean’. Many Muslim asylum seekers call all Christians unclean. Church services are held in secret, bibles and crucifixes have to be hidden,” she said.