Church leaders warned by Home Secretary James Cleverly to be on guard against asylum seekers 'exploiting Christianity' after Clapham alkali attacker debacle
- James Cleverly warns the church people are using Christianity to get asylum
Churches have been warned by James Cleverly not to allow asylum seekers to exploit the system by converting to Christianity - after it was revealed the Clapham attacker was granted asylum after 'converting' despite concerns he was lying.
In a message to church leaders at Easter, the Home Secretary said there is a 'real difference' between welcoming a new member of the congregation and 'vouching for a person in an asylum tribunal'.
His comments came after alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi was granted asylum by a judge who accepted he was a Christian convert despite concerns the convicted sex offender was a liar.
Ezedi's body was pulled from the River Thames last month following a major manhunt launched after he was suspected of dousing his ex-girlfriend with alkali when he pounced on her and her children, aged eight and three, in Clapham, south London, in January.
Churches have been warned by James Cleverly (pictured) not to allow asylum seekers to exploit the system by converting to Christianity
Alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi (pictured) was granted asylum by a judge who accepted he was a Christian convert despite concerns the convicted sex offender was a liar
Pictured: Clapham attacker Abdul Ezidi on CCTV after the attack on January 31 this year
Mr Cleverly called in church leaders in the wake of the Ezedi case and, writing in the Sun on Sunday, he said: 'Even the church has said they share our mission to stop the boats.
READ MORE: Unseen photos show Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi being baptised after converting to Christianity
'We have met with the senior church leaders to explain Christian conversion is no guarantee of asylum being granted and we've stressed there is a real difference between welcoming new members to a flock and vouching for a person in an asylum tribunal.'
He added: 'Allowing people to exploit the system risks detracting from the invaluable work Christians and the church do every day for our society - today of all days.'
Details of the Ezedi case were only revealed following media applications for immigration tribunal court papers.
Mr Cleverly indicated he backed greater transparency over asylum decisions.
'We were right to reject the asylum claims of the Clapham alkali attacker, twice, and believe a light shone on independent asylum tribunal decisions is needed,' he said.
This comes after the Mail revealed this week that Ezedi won asylum in spite of his repeated dishonesty. He failed a test on Christianity even though he claimed to be a convert.
The asylum judge who heard the sex offender's appeal to stay in the UK decided he had 'not been honest in several aspects of his account'.
In spite of those concerns, Judge William O'Hanlon allowed Ezedi's appeal on asylum and human rights grounds, saying on balance his religious conversion was genuine. His body was found in the Thames last month, ending a massive police hunt after he attacked a mother and her children with an alkali substance in January.
Court papers released to the Mail raise further questions about Ezedi's claim to have converted to Christianity – with him at one point saying in Home Office documents that the Old Testament was about Jesus Christ.
Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi is baptised at a church in Jarrow
A character reference for Ezedi that was supplied as part of his asylum application
They also showed the Baptist Church, which supported his claim for asylum, requested he sign a 'safeguarding contract' preventing him from entering the church alone following his 2018 sex assault and exposure conviction.
Reverend Roy Merrin wrote to the tribunal in support of Ezedi and also gave evidence in person to his hearing at the First Tier Tribunal, in October 2020
Ezedi arrived in Britain in the back of a lorry in 2016 and had twice been refused asylum by 2018
The Archbishop of Canterbury has previously said there is 'no evidence' to support claims the Church of England is 'subverting the asylum system' by allowing spurious conversions to Christianity.
The church has been accused in recent months of allowing 'industrial-scale' baptisms of migrants to assist with their asylum claims, allowing them to claim they would be persecuted in their home country because they are now Christians.
Earlier this month, the Most Rev Justin Welby told Times Radio he had seen 'no evidence' of this occurring, only 'assertions'.
He added: 'We wrote to the Home Office and they said they had no evidence to show us.'
