A Christian father from the U.K. says he has had enough of religious persecution from Muslims. He now fears that his family might not be able to recover from the horrible things he says they have faced because of their faith.
Fifty-year-old Nissar Hussain, who converted to Christianity 20 years ago, told the Catholic Herald that the persecution started after he appeared in a 2008 documentary where he shed light on the horrible treatment faced by Muslim converts.
Just last year, two hooded men — one armed with a pick-axe handle — assaulted Hussain and left him with a concussion, a damaged kneecap, and a broken hand. They called him a "blasphemer" for leaving Islam. Hussain claims that when he reported the incident to the police, he was told to "stop being a crusader" and move out of the area.
The West Yorkshire Police recorded the case as a hate crime, and it became the subject of an extensive police investigation. The police said they arrested a 33-year-old man in connection with the investigation. However, he was later released without charge.
It was not Hussain alone who was targeted. Even members of his family allegedly suffered from persecution when they were forced to leave their home. The family claimed that their Muslim neighbours caused damage to their home and cars.
Hussain said they already had "three cars written off." He said his family does not feel safe at their own home anymore because "regular drive-by bricks" are "thrown through the window."
Hussain's wife Kubra, a nurse, was forced to leave work because of post-traumatic stress disorder. His six children, aged 8 to 24, are all "traumatised" by the "extreme persecution" they've faced. Hussain also alleges his youngest daughter Leena was told by her friends, "Our parents say we mustn't mix with you because you are a convert."
"She was heartbroken and made to feel like a second class citizen," Hussain shared. "My family are distraught and extremely traumatised to be leaving. But when your life is at stake there is no other choice.'
"This extreme persecution by certain people in the Muslim community because we are converts has broken us as a family. We are fragmented and I do not know how we will recover from this," he added. "We haven't functioned properly for years."
Hussain is calling for U.K. churches to take action to help persecuted Christians, and for police to acknowledge the presence of "apostasy hate crime."
"There needs to be an awakening among churches. We have found ourselves in no man's land. There is a lack of cultural understanding about what it costs people such as ourselves. We are classed as apostates," said Hussain.
