"Close to my heart"

“Allah” on the altar floor of the parish church

The scene of the crime: the parish church of St. Hippolytus

(Bild: Roland Hölzl/Roland Hoelzl)

An Afghan woman living in Zell am See has scrawled Arabic lettering four times on objects, doors and the floor of the parish church, for example: "There is only one Allah." Her explanation in the regional court: "It was close to my heart."

With a black Sharpie in her hand, a previously blameless and working Afghan woman (37) visited the parish church of St. Hippolytus in Zell. And without further ado, she wrote on objects, doors and the altar floor: she left writings such as "There is only one Allah", "His prophet is Mohammed" or simply "Allah" (translated: God) between September and November 2024.

"Didn't know it was forbidden"
This is why the kitchen assistant had to explain herself in Salzburg Provincial Court on Wednesday on charges of serious damage to property and made a confession of fact: "I wrote it because it was close to my heart. I still go to church to pray today. For us Muslims, it is also a place of worship." She did not know that this was forbidden and at the time she was in a bad way, she explained somewhat ramblingly. She also emphasized: "I have no problem with the Christian religion, I just wanted to pour my heart out."

The judge doubted whether the woman had even understood the core of the matter and asked whether it was allowed to leave Christian lettering in a mosque in Afghanistan. The defendant answered in the affirmative and said: "I don't think it's a problem if I want to write something in the mosque in Saalfelden." A pastoral assistant reported on the discovery of the writings shortly before a wedding: "The priest was very upset." They had to "work really hard" to get rid of the graffiti. It was difficult at the door.

The defendant apologized several times. The judge emphasized the "disrespect for the place of worship" and handed down a suspended four-month prison sentence, not legally binding.