We may have been scammed by asylum seekers, admits Church of England
The Church of England has admitted for the first time that it may have been “scammed” by asylum seekers falsely claiming to have converted to Christianity to boost their chances of staying in the UK.
The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, conceded it was “very difficult” to look into the hearts of converts and be 100 per cent certain that they were genuine.
She acknowledged there had been a “small number” of alleged abuses but said the clergy “do the best they can” and it was “ultimately” the job of immigration tribunals and the Home Office to assess and vet the validity of asylum claims.
Her comments come after robust denials by the Church of England of claims by senior MPs and whistleblowers that clergy have been routinely supporting “bogus” asylum claims and enabled a “conveyor belt” of thousands of asylum seekers to convert.
Abdul Ezedi, the Clapham chemical attack suspect, was granted asylum after claiming to have converted to Christianity, despite having two convictions in the UK for sex assault and exposure.
Friends of Ezedi, an illegal migrant, told The Telegraph that he was a “good Muslim” who bought half a halal sheep every fortnight, despite his apparent conversion. James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, is reviewing the facts of the case to establish if the law needs to be overhauled to prevent such abuses.
Asked about the role of the Church of England in conversions of asylum seekers, the Rt Revd Francis-Dehqani, an Iranian-born Anglican, said: “We take seriously our responsibilities, but we also know that as Christians, our primary responsibility is one of welcome and hospitality and support and teaching, but we need to do that in a way that is that is wise and, and is aware that occasionally there are people who might try and scam us.”
Asked on the BBC Sunday programme if she thought there were asylum seekers scamming the system, she said: “It’s very difficult to look into the hearts of people ever and be 100 per cent. And that goes for whether that person is from Britain or an immigrant from elsewhere.
“But we absolutely advise clergy to do the best they can. And I think what’s happening here is that inevitably there will be a small number of cases.
“But it seems to me that it’s wrong that a very small number of alleged abuses should be highlighted because it’s diverting attention away from the systemic problems, which is that we have an immigration system that’s overwhelmed and inefficient.”
She said she was “very open” to “looking again” at the Church of England guidance for clergy on how to help and support asylum seekers wanting to convert.
‘Conveyor belt of baptisms’
Asked if the bar should be set higher for baptisms, she said: “Preparation is in most cases very rigorous and that’s right and proper. I think, God forbid, you do take that seriously regardless of where people are coming from. It’s just that in the end, it’s impossible to prove 100 per cent.
“But we do have this guidance and we do make it very clear that clergy must be as confident as they possibly can be that those seeking baptism fully understand what it signifies.
“As we’ve heard already, some people fall away from the system if they are trying to scam it because they realise it’s taking longer than they would ideally like.”
Her comments follow claims last week by a whistleblowing former Church of England priest that the Church was complicit in a ”conveyor belt” of asylum seeker baptisms used by migrants to remain in the UK.
The Rev Matthew Firth, who was priest in charge at a parish in the north of England, told The Telegraph how he tried to stop the “veritable industry” of baptisms after discovering the scale of abuse in the system.
On Sunday, The Telegraph also revealed judges have raised concerns that some “unquestioning” church leaders were being “duped” by insincere asylum seekers converting to Christianity to avoid deportation.
Judicial decisions highlighted examples of clergymen and lay leaders failing to query the motives of purported converts whose asylum applications they had agreed to support.
