No fewer than 40 asylum seekers on board the Bibby Stockholm barge are believed to have converted to Christianity.
This has raised fears that migrants will claim to have changed religion to gain asylum.
It was revealed last week that Abdul Ezedi, the main suspect in the London chemical attack, was only granted asylum after converting to Christianity.
Ezedi had his asylum application rejected twice, before being approved on the third attempt, following his conversion.
This was despite the fact that he had been convicted of two sexual offenses three years earlier.
Of the 300 migrants aboard the Bibby Stockholm barge, nearly one in seven attend churches under the supervision of local religious leaders, a church elder told the BBC.
David Rees, a church elder and education consultant, told the BBC that 40 asylum seekers on the Dorset barge had converted to Christianity or were in the process of doing so.
He said: “Local religious leaders have visited the barge and are working with the council and barge management to look after these guys. »
Abdul Ezedi converted to Christianity before his asylum application was approved
metropolitan police
Rees said he is convinced that the 40 migrants on board the Bibby Stockholm who are undergoing conversions are truly doing so.
This has raised concerns about the validity of conversions and the role churches play in supporting asylum seekers to convert to Christianity.
In many cases, it is easier for a migrant to apply for asylum if they have converted to Christianity, because if they are returned to their country of origin as a “Christian”, they may not be not be safe.
40 asylum seekers on Bibby Stockholm barge reportedly convert to Christianity
Pennsylvania
A government source said: “There are clearly general questions about whether it is actually possible to credibly justify the validity of a religious conversion, particularly where that view could be a primary defense and have very important implications. »
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