The following video report from the Kronen Zeitung features a woman called “Maria” who used to work as a translator for “refugees” who had recently arrived in Austria. She herself is an Iraqi refugee — a real one, a Christian — who came to Austria decades ago. Because she spoke Arabic to the new arrivals and did not immediately reveal herself as a Christian, they freely discussed with her their reasons for coming to Europe, and their expectation that eventually Islam will dominate in Austria.

Many thanks to Ava Lon for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

00:00 This is again [unintelligible] Live talk, nice to have you with us. Today we have as a guest

00:05 in the newsroom the Iraqi Christian Maria — this is a nickname,

00:10 she wants to remain anonymous — who worked in Vienna in a charity helping the refugees

00:15 because of she was fluent in Arabic, of course, and therefore understood everything the refugees

00:20 were saying to each other. And when she informed her employer about it

00:25 (she worked several months in the support of refugees),

00:30 her contract was simply no longer renewed. Yes, we’re trying to find out what exactly happened

00:35 Maria, first of all: thank you for the courage to come to us. —My pleasure. —What have you heard?

00:40 What are they saying, those refugees who arrive in Austria? What do they say to each other?

00:45 First we need to acknowledge that those refugees arrive from

00:50 a region where there has been a religious war for decades.

00:55 This means they are fleeing from their region.

01:00 They have risked their lives to come to Europe,

01:05 and not to any of the Muslim countries, partially because they really wanted

01:10 a quiet life, but the other part is already programmed and planned.

01:15 So for the refugees is it also about being able to further practice their religion?

01:20 And they heard that in Austria, where there is religious freedom, it would be possible? — Yes.

01:25 And if I understand it correctly, they were then surprised themselves, when they arrived here,

01:30 how freely in can be practised. —They were surprised themselves, that it was THIS

01:35 free, that there is so much religious freedom in Austria.

01:40 And so much freedom for their religion. And they told me: in our countries

01:45 many things wouldn’t be allowed, and Austria is allowing all that in the name of religious

01:50 freedom. —This means that the freedom to practice Islam

01:55 is greater than it ever was in their homeland? —Yes.

02:00 Because there… Why are they fleeing from those countries? Because there, there is only

02:05 religious war since the fall of Saddam Hussein: Sunni against Shia,

02:10 and then Shia against other groups, also against

02:15 the Adnan [an Arab tribe]. And they all fought against each other. And they come here,

02:20 they believe that because they come from over there, they would be welcomed

02:25 by associations and by the radicals who gave them this information,

02:30 that here they could further practice their religion

02:35 and in the future Austria will belong to them.

02:40 This means that the associations support the refugees,

02:45 concerning the effort to practice their religion in the freest possible way.

02:50 It’s come up in the National Assembly election; a fight with [Peter] Pilz [former Green leader];

02:55 there is always a subject with [unintelligible], for example. You’re a Christian. The refugees

02:59 didn’t notice that right away; you weren’t wearing a cross, but you weren’t wearing a veil either,

03:05 during all those discussions. How were you treated personally?

03:10 They hugged me at first and they greeted me in a very friendly way,

03:15 because I was one of them, and for that reason they could talk freely with me.

03:20 Because they thought that you were Muslim? — They thought that I was Muslim.

03:25 I didn’t tell them, because I have been in Austria for many years and I know that religion is

03:30 a private matter. And I meet those people as fellow humans and not as

03:36 Muslim or Christian or Jew, or something else. And then for them

03:41 religion is always a defining characteristic. They

03:46 come from there and here still it is a defining characteristic.

03:49 And they told me that that here they want to prevail with their

03:56 demands , with their… they told us

04:01 that here they can demand everything they want from the state.

04:06 Because there is religious freedom, and they can demand it all. —So not only

04:09 large financial demands now, but also from the religious point of view,

04:13 so they could practice it as much as possible. —Of course.

04:16 And they said it would be the objective — and they also discussed it with one another, when they

04:20 were observed — they wanted to get as many Austrians as possible to convert to Islam, because

04:25 Islam is — so they say — the ONLY religion. What did you hear about it? — Well,

04:31 this is the message, because they don’t know anything else.

04:36 For the last 20 years only religion rules over there. What do you expect from those

04:41 men who come to Austria, with this ideology in their heads?

04:46 And then they get the state’s support? And by the state I mean

04:51 it’s not on purpose, but in the name of democracy and freedom, and

04:56 what do they expect from the associations they go to and they say, “Send your kids to Islamic

05:01 kindergarten, send your kids to the mosque on Saturday and Sunday.”

05:06 According to the Islamic religion

05:11 an 8-year-old girl has to wear a veil, it’s a must!

05:16 I didn’t experience anything like that 20, 30 years ago in Iraq in my time.

05:21 Yes. So the refugees themselves cannot help it? They are simply taking advantage

05:26 of the very liberal laws in Austria, they are simply using them for their purpose. —Yes. —And you

05:31 Think, and you told me that before the interview, that we need to appeal to the politicians to

05:36 make the laws on religious freedom more restrictive, since refugees just take advantage of them,

05:41 of what they have right to? —Correct. —Nothing wrong with that, but it goes much further than

05:46 what they were ever allowed to do in their home countries. —Yes. I’m always saying that

05:51 special times call for special rules and special laws. And

05:56 we are in such times. —Iraq, 30 years ago, …even Egypt

06:01 were like here in Austria 30 years ago. We used to have a free

06:06 society in which we lived. And I would advise every politician

06:11 to spend a couple of days over there; and then they could get a good picture

06:16 of what is going on over there. And what the refugees are bringing with them

06:19 from there. It means that politicians here have to act.

06:26 And when a minister for example wants a law against full veils,

06:29 against full veiling, then he is harassed, slandered; well, I think

06:36 this is unacceptable. —But it would be necessary to do this. —It is necessary,

06:39 it is very necessary, otherwise in 20 years at the latest, Austria

06:47 will be the Afghanistan or Iraq of today. —Of course this is a very strong statement.

06:52 In general, to finish up, you as a Christian, when you understood all that,

06:57 you reported that to your employer, and you think that exactly for that reason

07:02 probably he didn’t renewed your contract, and you are suggesting by that it meant,

07:07 between the lines, that the aid organizations weren’t at all interested

07:12 in informing the public about what the refugees were talking about with one another.

07:17 Bottom line: they [the aid organizations] would like to sweep it under the rug. Is it the case?

07:22 Well, I think so as well, because it’s not possible otherwise: one has to be able to criticize

07:27 when there are problems, one has to be able to mention and discuss them.

07:32 And I haven’t done anything other than talk about the problems I saw.

07:37 I, as Christian, when I was in my country,

07:42 when I was persecuted, I didn’t want to leave my country, but they said: you Christians,

07:47 you don’t belong here. Go to your unbelievers!

07:52 To Europe for example. —Fine, so we acknowledged that.

07:57 We came here. We also lived here with Muslims,

08:02 in freedom. Right? Because here everybody is equal.

08:07 But through this refugee crisis, what I now experience is that I am being

08:12 discriminated against twice: because no matter where I’m going,

08:15 because of NOT wearing the veil, I am discriminated against as a Christian,

08:22 once in my country and once in an European country. —And at the very end [of the interview]

08:27 you are now unemployed. The whole thing happened last year, you were working with the refugees

08:32 for six months. And since then you haven’t been able to find work any longer.

08:35 I have no job, but I don’t depend on state welfare. Above all I’m trying

08:42 to help Austria, so this aid [to the refugees] won’t harm Austria.

08:47 Maria, thank you very much for the courage to tell us all that.

08:52 When one cannot speak Arabic, one has no access to that, and you were doing it for

08:57 half a year. Thank you for visiting the studio. And to viewers, thank you for your interest