A Christian woman whose application for asylum in the UK was rejected by the Home Office has won the right to stay after a judge reversed the decision.
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 cannot be named for security reasons, are at risk of being kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam, and forced to marry their captors, said the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is supporting her.
She fled to the UK with her family after coming under pressure to convert from Muslim colleagues.
She pretended to convert and was issued a new identity card in her ‘Muslim’ name, but the pressure only increased, with her colleagues telling her she would have to have her Christian cross tattoo removed, leave her husband, and wear a veil. They also told her that from now on, her daughter was also a Muslim.
When she decided that enough was enough and started standing up to them, she and her daughter were subjected to terrifying abduction attempts, forcing the family to make the decision 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 decision was later reversed by the Upper Tribunal after Maria took legal action 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 unlawful under Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998”.
Maria welcomed the outcome 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 do not want this to happen to anyone else,” she said.
“Life is still hard, but we are safe. We believe it is crucial for other genuine 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 forced conversion.”
