“How do you cook a turkey for Christmas?” asked as evidence of religious conversion
17 July 2007
The plight of a woman under threat of being deported home to Iran, despite fears she will be stoned for converting to Christianity, is being repeated across the country, according to a new report.
The 29-year-old, known as Samar, converted to Christianity before leaving Iran, and says a death warrant for her has been issued in her homeland.
Her church in Bournemouth and MP Tobias Ellwood have campaigned on her behalf, but despite a temporary reprieve on Friday, immigration officers have again issued her with deportation papers to return to Iran tomorrow.
The report, issued today by the Evangelical Alliance, says that a lack of understanding of conversion, translation problems and ludicrous questioning by Home Office staff or the judiciary has led to asylum seekers being refused asylum from dangerous home countries.
One asylum seeker told the Alliance that Home Office interviewers asked her to prove her Christianity by describing how to cook a turkey for Christmas.
A key theme of the report is that inadequate country information leads to people being sent home because the country is wrongly seen as safe for converts.
In the case of Iran, the UNHCR has reported that conversion from Islam to another religion will lead to execution for a man or life imprisonment for a woman, but all appeals against Samar’s deportation there have been refused.
John Dallison, who travelled to Downing Street today to hand in a 1,000-name petition on behalf of Samar, said, “This is a key issue which only really came home to us when we encountered it personally with Samar. She is a committed Christian and I baptised her. It is so important that immigration officials better understand the issues around religious conversion so that nobody has to go through what Samar has gone through again.”
The report, by the Evangelical Alliance, was compiled using evidence from translators, pastors, asylum seekers and transcripts of asylum interviews and legal appeals.
It also takes into account information reported at a symposium on the persecution of Christian asylum seekers, hosted by Lord Anderson of Swansea in June.
The report includes a survey of Evangelical Alliance members, more than 90 percent of whom said a sample of questions asked of asylum seekers could not prove their faith.
Among its recommendations are that caseworkers and adjudicators are given training in the Christian faith and understand that conversion is a complex decision, which does not necessarily result in detailed Biblical or doctrinal knowledge.
Evangelical Alliance Parliamentary Officer Gareth Wallace said: “The stories we were told of Christian asylum seekers and their experience of the asylum process give an indication of the fear and trepidation with which they apply for asylum in the UK, knowing that admitting conversion will result in imprisonment or the death penalty in countries like Iran and Afghanistan.
“Many are new Christians, with limited knowledge of the Bible and even less of British religious tradition.
“Given the stress they are under, it is entirely understandable that they struggle to give the right answer when met with a long list of questions – in some cases fifty or sixty – about their new Christian faith.”
The report includes guidance for MPs and their case workers to give them a better understanding of asylum claims on religious grounds.
Simon Hughes MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs/Justice, who attended the symposium in June, commented, “When interviewing those who have converted from one faith to another immigration caseworkers need to be as sensitive about faith as they are about gender. This is an issue that won’t go away and MPs need to be better informed on all its implications and I am sure this report will be a useful aid.”
Read the full report: alltogether for Asylum Justice
Media Contact:
Charis Gibson
Evangelical Alliance
020 7207 2117 / 07917050126
c.gibson@eauk.org
Notes to editors:
Other examples of questions asked to asylum seekers include:
1. Identify the forbidden fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Although it is commonly assumed this is an apple, the Bible does not name the fruit).
2. Name the thieves crucified on either side of Jesus (they are not named in the Bible).
3. What will happen around the world in the second coming? (Different theologians would give different details in answering this question).
Asylum applications are dealt with by the Borders and Immigration Agency of the Home Office. Rejected applicants can appeal to the Immigration Appellate Authority, and in some cases can further appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal or seek a judicial review in the High Court.
The Evangelical Alliance surveyed 50 of its members to see if they were able to answer a sample of questions asked of asylum seekers to prove their conversion. In response to the question, “Did you feel these questions could be used to prove your faith?” more than 90 percent answered “no”.
The Evangelical Alliance UK, formed in 1846, is an umbrella group representing over one million evangelical Christians in the UK and is made up of member churches, organisations and individuals. As part of a movement ‘uniting to change society’, the Alliance promotes unity and truth, acts as an evangelical voice to the state, society and the wider Church, and provides resources to help members and other evangelicals live out their faith in their communities.
