Jehovah's Witnesses came into conflict with the Nazi regime because they refused to use the Hitler salute, believing that it conflicted with their belief to only worship and swear loyalty to Jehovah and to do otherwise would be disloyalty. Because refusing to use the Hitler salute was considered a crime, they were arrested, and their children attending school were expelled, detained and separated from their families. When Germany made military enlistment mandatory, they were persecuted because they refused to bear arms.