The U.S. Department of State has repeatedly claimed that Germany 's actions constitute government and societal discrimination against minority religious groups and expressed its concerns over the violation of Scientologists ' individual rights posed by sect filters . The U.S. Department of State began to include the issue of Scientology in Germany in its annual human rights reports after the 1993 agreement between the Church of Scientology and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service , through which Scientology gained the status of a tax @-@ exempt religion in the United States . That decision also marked the beginning of more intense lobbying efforts by the Church of Scientology in Washington , using paid lobbyists . The State Department 's 1996 human rights report on Germany , released in January 1997 , warned that artists and businesses with Scientology connections " may face boycotts and discrimination , sometimes with government approval . " Past targets of such actions had included Scientologist actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta , as well as jazz pianist Chick Corea .