Death fears of Iranian Baptist denied asylum

AN IRANIAN Baptist mother has said she fears she will be killed on her return to her homeland, after the Home Office ruled she should be deported back to Iran.

Narges Fazeli (39) could see her family torn apart as a result of the decision, as her husband, granted asylum in the UK, cannot return to Iran.

She is now facing up to the prospect of returning to Iran as a Christian, together with 16-year old daughter Elaheh, and fears she will be persecuted for her beliefs.

'I can't be private about my faith,' she said, 'but if you practice it in Iran, and do ministry, you will face death.'

Any job she took up would feature daily Muslim prayers, in which she would be expected to take part, she explained.

'You would have to pretend - and I would feel very guilty,' she said.

Mrs Fazeli, a member of Wakefield Baptist Church, said she feared for the effect the move would have on her daughter, who is currently studying her A-levels at Wakefield College, with ambitions to become a police officer.

'I don't think she could cope in Iran - she cannot read or write [in Farsi] and doesn't have any Iranian friends,' she said of Elaheh, a daughter from a previous marriage.

Mrs Fazeli said she had been plagued by the Home Office decision in recent weeks.

'It is a nightmare,' she said.

'Every time at night I cannot sleep. I wake up at midnight and pray to Jesus - I'm sure that he will help me.'

Wakefield members have written to local MP Mary Creagh and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith about the case, while the Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Stephen Platten, has also raised his concerns in a letter to Mrs Smith.

'The church is very concerned - most of the members know her and love her,' said Wakefield member Dr Alan Whitley.

'Here's a lovely Christian, which is borne out in her work - and she's being deported. It is astonishing that our Government seeks to split up a family,' he added.

Mrs Fazeli, who converted to Christianity in the UK and has been a part of the Wakefield congregation for five years, leads an Alpha course in Farsi for members of the local Iranian community, which has seen a number come to faith.

Mrs Fazeli is from a family with links to the old Iranian monarchy, and faced persecution following the Iranian revolution of 1979, which toppled former monarch Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

She served time in prison, where she was torture and raped - a consequence of her family history, she said.

Baptist Union of Great Britain general secretary the Revd Jonathan Edwards said that he was 'very distressed to learn of the plight of Narges Fazeli'.

'She is clearly fully integrated into British life and a return to Iran would be certain to be profoundly dangerous for her,' he said.  'The decision to deport her is deeply worrying and I hope that pressure will continue to be placed upon the Home Office to reverse their decision.

'I am delighted to hear that she is such an active member of Wakefield Baptist Church, and I am sure that all churches in our Union would want to assure Mina and her family and the Wakefield fellowship of our love and prayers at this stressful time.'

A border and immigration spokeswoman for the Home Office said it would not comment on individual cases.

'It is an important part of ensuring an effective and fair asylum system that those found not to be in need of international protection are removed from the UK.

'We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return,' she added. 'The Government is determined to protect the UK's immigration system and marriage laws from abuse, and in order for an applicant to be settled as a spouse they must hold a valid UK entry clearance for entry in the correct capacity.'

She continued, 'Applicants who do not meet the requirements for leave to remain as a spouse will be expected to return home and apply for entry clearance in the correct capacity order to join their spouse/fiancŽ in the UK.'

By courtesy of the Baptist Times