British Christian family flees from UK home to escape persecution
A British Christian family had to be escorted by the police as they left their home in Bradford, West Yorkshire to escape from increasing attacks committed by strict Muslims in the community.
Nissar Hussain, a father of six, had converted from Islam to Christianity in 1996. The persecution started when his family appeared in a documentary that detailed how Muslims who converted to other religions were treated.
Last year, Hussain was punched, kicked and hit with a pickaxe handle 13 times, resulting in a broken hand and a kneecap.
"Freedom [and] liberty should have been afforded us. The situation is dire when it comes to converts because you lose your immediate family, you don't have anybody. There is no middle ground of acceptance, there is no tolerance when it comes to conversion to Christianity from a Muslim background," he told Premier.
The Hussains had already relocated previously but even after they moved, Hussain felt that he and his family were prisoners in their own home.
Police have verified that there is a credible threat to the lives of the Hussain family. They had been attacked in the streets and the windscreen of their car had been broken multiple times.
The All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief released a statement regarding the case of Hussain saying: "This incident, the APPG believes, typifies a trend of individuals targeted and, on rare occasions, killed for their beliefs in the UK and highlights a wider problem of integration of different individuals with different beliefs in UK communities."
On Nov. 3, the Hussain family started packing their belongings when the police arrived at their home in Bradford, according to Metro.
The West Yorkshire Police issued a statement expressing their disappointment that the family had to leave Bradford adding that there had already been efforts made by the police and its partners to resolve the situation.
The police further noted that other people had not experienced persecution due to their faith or conversion to another faith while stressing that hate crimes will not be tolerated.