Asylum Granted for German Homeschooling Family

An American judge on Tuesday granted asylum to a German family who moved with their five children to Tennessee in August 2008 and applied for asylum shortly thereafter. The asylum application stated that they wanted to homeschool their children and German authorities would not allow them to do so.

Immigration judge Lawrence O. Burman in Memphis, Tennessee granted the asylum application of the family and ruled that the German government violated Uwe and Hannelore Romeike''s basic human rights and has a well-founded fear of persecution which makes them eligible for asylum.

German and European courts have upheld German laws that mandate an education of children in public schools. The German Constitutional Court ruled in 2006 that parents are not entitled to keep their children from attending school because of their religious views. Citing the government''s responsibility to provide education in a pluralistic society, the judges argued that it was beneficial to children to be exposed to other religious beliefs or views. In November 2007, the same court ruled that homeschooling parents can even lose custody of their children, arguing that the public has a rightful interest in preventing the formation of "parallel societies" based on religion or worldview. This view was confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in 2006. The court ruled that Germany''s mandatory school attendance policy, along with the corresponding ban on homeschooling, is compatible with both European law and the European Convention on Human Rights.