German family gets day in U.S. court

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals agreed this week to hear the case of a Christian family from Germany seeking asylum in the U.S.

Uwe and Hannelore Romeike fled to America in 2008 because the German government would not let them homeschool their children.

Oral arguments are scheduled for April, and the court will get two very different opinions of the Christian parents.

In the view of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), which represents the family, the German government has persecuted the Romeikes for exercising their right to direct their children's schooling, like many parents do in the U.S.

But the American government does not believe the German government persecuted the Romeikes, and maintains the family is not being singled out for its religious beliefs. German law requires all children to attend state-approved schools.

The HSLDA hopes the case will pressure Germany to change the way it treats homeschool families, Director of International Relations Michael Donnelly said.

"It's a democracy,” he said of Germany. “They respect human rights. But in this area, it's frightening how they treat people who want to do something very simple. There are 2 million children home-schooled in the U.S. … This is not a threat to the German state, but they are treating it that way, and it's wrong."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Listen to a report on the Romeike family on WORLD’s radio news magazine The World and Everything in It.