"Germany drops attempt to ban Scientology"

Read the AP story (via Yahoo News). The title is clear: Germany is dropping pursuit of a ban on Scientology. Yet, things are not all in the clear because surveillance of Scientologists continues.

The rhetoric is stark on both sides. On the one hand, many activists consider this a violation of Scientologists' basic "human rights." On the other hand, German officials consider Scientology inconsistent with the German constitution because, they claim, it mistreats people. This official's words are telling:

"This organization pursues goals — through its writings, its concept and its disrespect for minorities — that we cannot tolerate and that we consider in violation of the constitution. But they put very little of this into practice," Erhart Koerting, Berlin's top security official, told reporters. "The appraisal of the government at the moment is that (Scientology) is a lousy organization, but it is not an organization that we have to take a hammer to."

Oddly, the above quote seems unwarranted given something said by a different official:

"Before we open preliminary proceedings (leading to a ban), we need concrete evidence of unconstitutional activity," August Hanning, a Schaeuble deputy, said. "The security agencies are predominantly of the opinion that there is not sufficient evidence of this."

If the security agencies are predominantly of the opinion that there is not sufficient evidence of unconstitutional activity, then how can they logically justify the continued monitoring? Whatever the case, the cost of being a Scientologist remains quite high in Germany.