WorldNetDaily - Persecuted Couple Granted Asylum in 'Critical Victory'

June 24, 2011

2 min read

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by WorldNetDaily

A Christian couple has been granted asylum in the U.K. after a Muslim man kidnapped them for several months, beat them and tried to force them to recant their faith.

A Pakistani Christian married a Muslim woman who converted to Christianity. The two endured persecution from the woman's Muslim family because of their marriage and Christian faith. Her uncle attacked the couple in their home, detained them in his home for several months and sought the services of a Muslim cleric to teach the couple about Islam, according to the American Center for Law and Justice, or ACLJ, the nation's top conservative civil liberties law firm.

The European Centre for Law and Justice, or ECLJ, international affiliate of the ACLJ, helped the couple seek asylum in the U.K.

"This represents a critical victory in the ongoing challenge to protect those who take great risk in proclaiming their Christian faith," Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ECLJ and ACLJ, said in a statement. "At a time when so many Christian converts face real persecution including the threat of death it's encouraging that this couple can now stay in the U.K. We're delighted we were able to provide assistance in this very important case."

While Pakistani law neither prohibits nor allows religious conversion, the country's blasphemy laws often subject people who convert to beatings and death.

The ACLJ said the couple's identity is being withheld for their safety. The husband and wife attempted to flee several times and finally escaped to the U.K. and applied for asylum there.

Initially, their asylum claim was denied by the U.K. Border Agency, but they were allowed to appeal the decision.

In a critical report, the ECLJ and ACLJ detailed the danger facing interfaith couples and Christian converts in Pakistan. The law firms urged the couple be granted asylum in the U.K. On Sept. 2, the U.K. Asylum and Immigration Tribunal granted asylum to the persecuted Christians, allowing them to stay in the U.K.