A Christian woman whose application for asylum within the UK was rejected by the Home Office has won the fitting to remain after a judge reversed the choice.
The woman, who goes by the pseudonym ‘Maria’ for security reasons, fled to the UK after being persecuted by Muslims in her home country.
Christian women in her country of origin, which also can’t be named for security reasons, are prone to being kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam, and compelled to marry their captors, said the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is supporting her.
She fled to the UK along with her family after coming under pressure to convert from Muslim colleagues.
She pretended to convert and was issued a recent identity card in her ‘Muslim’ name, however the pressure only increased, along with her colleagues telling her she would must have her Christian cross tattoo removed, leave her husband, and wear a veil. They also told her that any longer, her daughter was also a Muslim.
When she decided that enough was enough and began standing as much as them, she and her daughter were subjected to terrifying abduction attempts, forcing the family to make the choice to flee the country.
Her application for asylum was refused by the Home Office, after the judge concluded that the evidence submitted was too “incredible”.
However, that call was later reversed by the Upper Tribunal after Maria took legal motion against the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
The Upper Tribunal judge found that the Home Office’s decision to reject her claim was “in breach of the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention; and illegal under Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998”.
Maria welcomed the consequence but wants a review into how the Home Office handles similar cases in future.
“I and my family were overjoyed to receive justice after years of struggle and trauma. We don’t want this to occur to anyone else,” she said.
“Life continues to be hard, but we’re protected. We consider it’s crucial for other real Christians fleeing Islamic persecution to receive the support and protection they need.
“We call for an investigation/inquiry into how the Home Office is handling asylum claims for those fleeing Islamic persecution and compelled conversion.”
