Converts face ill-informed scrutiny

Christian converts seeking asylum in the UK are having their claims assessed on the basis of their knowledge of Bible trivia rather than examining what they really believe, according to a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (AAG), writes Rose Gamble.

The report concluded that Home Office officials conducting asylum interviews lack the religious literacy needed to understand the complexity of ­religious-based applications, ­leading to the wrong people being rejected.
Converts at risk of persecution could be deported on account of their answers to questions such as whether they can name the Ten Commandments, said the report.

Baroness Berridge, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group, said that the current form of processing converts was unfair and vulnerable to fraudulent claims, adding that for some Christians the matter was about life and death.

“Caseworkers who are making decisions that can be life and death for people were not supported in ways that were necessary or  trained properly to understand the lived reality of faith,” she said.

The report also highlighted a lack of professionalism from some interpreters hired by the Home Office. Interpreters have made threatening comments in their native language, undermining the claimant, explained Bishop Anba Angaelos, founder of the AAG and general bishop of the Coptic Church in the UK.

Bishop Angaelos said the report’s aim was to help the Home Office develop a more robust system so as not to disadvantage those genuinely in need of refuge.

“Conscious of the fact that some will desire to abuse the system, we must not forget the humaneness with which those legitimately applying on religious freedom grounds should be treated. This is not just a matter of statistics, because even if one case is misjudged, that represents one life placed at greater risk,” he added.

The report’s authors made a series of recommendations including religious literacy training for Home Office asylum officials, and for data to be kept on the number of claims made on the grounds of religious persecution. Interpreters should uphold the same standards of conduct expected from Home Office staff, they added.

The UK received 41,563 asylum applications last year, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Home Office guidelines state that caseworkers are trained to ask questions tailored to individual cases and, when errors in ­decision-making are identified, “appropriate action is taken to address it”.