The Church of England recognised that asylum seekers like Clapham corrosive substance attack suspect Abdul Ezedi may have “mixed motives” when requesting baptism.
Abdul Ezedi is thought to have had his successful asylum claim supported by someone from a Baptist church.
Police believe Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, threw a burning chemical over his former girlfriend, some of which also injured one of the children, and slammed the three-year-old’s head on the ground in the attack on January 31.
He then fled the scene and initially used his bank card to travel on the Tube before walking a route that broadly hugged the banks of the River Thames in the following hours.
The 35-year-old, originally from Afghanistan, is believed to have arrived in the UK via lorry in 2016. His first asylum request was rejected in the same year.
In 2018, he was convicted of one charge of sexual and another of exposure, before his asylum application was accepted in 2020. His conversion to Christianity was deemed to make returning to Afghanistan a risk.
Conservative MP Andrew Selous, who speaks on behalf of the Church in Parliament, also accepted that there was a “need for discernment” amongst the clergy and that guidance on supporting asylum seekers was being updated following the Clapham attack.
Some Conservative MPs raised concerns that the Church of England had been brought into disrepute by Abdul Ezedi’s conversion.
Amongst them was Lichfield MP Sir Michael Fabricant, who stated that the issue “sort of implies that [Church of England] vicars are naïve, foolish, and innocent” and that, following the Ezedi case, more “robust training” was needed so that “well-meaning folk don’t endanger…society”.
City News has found no evidence to support any implication that the Church of England was involved in Abdul Ezedi’s conversion, nor aided his asylum claim.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineEzedi conversion leads to change in Church asylum guidance
Short HeadlineEzedi conversion shows asylum seekers' "mixed motives"
StandfirstThe Clapham attack suspect was granted asylum following his conversion to Christianity.
The Church of England recognised that asylum seekers like Clapham corrosive substance attack suspect Abdul Ezedi may have “mixed motives” when requesting baptism.
Abdul Ezedi is thought to have had his successful asylum claim supported by someone from a Baptist church.
Police believe Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, threw a burning chemical over his former girlfriend, some of which also injured one of the children, and slammed the three-year-old’s head on the ground in the attack on January 31.
He then fled the scene and initially used his bank card to travel on the Tube before walking a route that broadly hugged the banks of the River Thames in the following hours.
The 35-year-old, originally from Afghanistan, is believed to have arrived in the UK via lorry in 2016. His first asylum request was rejected in the same year.
In 2018, he was convicted of one charge of sexual and another of exposure, before his asylum application was accepted in 2020. His conversion to Christianity was deemed to make returning to Afghanistan a risk.
Conservative MP Andrew Selous, who speaks on behalf of the Church in Parliament, also accepted that there was a “need for discernment” amongst the clergy and that guidance on supporting asylum seekers was being updated following the Clapham attack.
Some Conservative MPs raised concerns that the Church of England had been brought into disrepute by Abdul Ezedi’s conversion.
Amongst them was Lichfield MP Sir Michael Fabricant, who stated that the issue “sort of implies that [Church of England] vicars are naïve, foolish, and innocent” and that, following the Ezedi case, more “robust training” was needed so that “well-meaning folk don’t endanger…society”.
City News has found no evidence to support any implication that the Church of England was involved in Abdul Ezedi’s conversion, nor aided his asylum claim.
