Afghan man rips up Koran sparking threatening riot in overcrowded German refugee camp

A total of 17 people were injured in a recent riot inside an overcrowded refugee camp in Germany

A riot broke in an overcrowded German refugee camp shelter after an Afghan man damaged the Koran and threw pages of it in the toilet.

MUNTINLUPA CITY, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - One resident from an overcrowded German refugee camp tore up a Koran and dumped pages inside a toilet, sending rage among the Muslim residents in the camp.

Around 20 refugees chased after the Afghan man who damaged the Koran. He was eventually secured by the shelter's guards, which sparked the mob, according to local media. The mob was composed of Syrian men, who later turned their anger on the refugee camp security team.

The mob grew and 50 men armed themselves with steel rods and began throwing rocks at the guards and policemen. This all occurred in the high tensions of Germany, as the country prepared to host to a total of 800,000 asylum seekers this 2015.

The riot left smashed car windows, ransacked buildings and demolished walls. The rampage lasted for several hours, dividing the shelter. The refugee camp in Suhl, Thuringia was built to only accommodate 1,200 people, but it currently homes to more than 1,700 - making it too overcrowded for habitation.

Germany is currently struggling to deal with the huge entry of asylum seekers from war zones, such as Syria, as well as other migrants from countries not at war. The sudden influx has forced the German authorities to accommodate migrants in schools and tents, which have been transformed into make-shift shelters.

The local officials have been repeatedly concerned about the overcrowding issues in the area, explaining they were unable to cope with the increasing demand.

The state premier for Thuringia believes it would be better for ethnic groups to be separated in the refugee homes to prevent such violence from happening again.

"We need to expand our capacity urgently" according to Bodo Ramelow, a public broadcasted in MDR.

Europe has become one of the top destinations for those escaping from war and persecution. Berlin, for example, expects to receive 800,000 asylum seekers this year, four times more than 2014.

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