Asylum claims being made by Christian converts are being dealt with unfairly by officials

Refugees converting to Christianity from other faiths including Islam are having their applications turned down if the Home Office suspects their conversion was motivated by a desire to claim asylum.

Asylum seekers coming to Britain must attend an asylum interview with assessors on arrival, where they are asked "basic knowledge questions" about their new faith.

A report published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Freedom has said that asylum claims being made by Christian converts are being dealt with unfairly by officials. Too often officials are asking about Bible trivia, rather than probing what someone really believes.

Baroness Berridge, a member of All-Party Parliamentary Group, told the BBC that the current form of processing converts was unfair.

"Caseworkers who are making decisions that can be life and death for people were not supported necessarily and trained properly to understand the lived reality of faith."

Reverend Mark Miller, who advises the Home Office about converts - like those in his congregation at Stockton Parish Church - said officials were failing to "understand" why people had converted to Christianity.

"Asylum assessors should be trying to understand why it is someone has left behind the faith of their family their faith of their upbringing, and chosen to follow another faith."

"The guidelines say that this is a major decision that has been made and assessors should be understanding why this decision has come about."

Asylum assessors "should be trying to understand the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge."

Having seen the current system in operation myself, I fully endorse this report, its findings, and the urgent need for caseworkers to be trained properly to understand the lived reality of faith.

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Ooberfuse - We Believe.