Politics
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Canada Refusing to Offer Asylum to Persecuted Christians
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
TORONTO, Ontario, March 21, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canadian immigration frequently fails to recognize the claim of refugee status from Egyptian Coptic Christians, reported CTV news yesterday. In at least half the cases, claimants are sent back to Egypt to face increased persecution.
The 2005 Country Report on Human Rights from the U.S. State Department said Egypt is responsible for "numerous human rights abuses," in particular against religious minorities. The report lists numerous cases of "religious discrimination" against Coptic Christians and says there is widespread "torture and abuse" in Egyptian prisons.
Christians who have made refugee claims in the west will almost certainly be imprisoned and possibly tortured if they are sent back to Egypt.
"Just being detained in a prison is probably intimidation enough," said Paul Rowe, one of Canada's top experts on Christians in the Middle East and political science professor at Trinity Western University.
"Anyone who is a dissident will also face a certain amount of torture or certainly degrading punishment of various different sorts," he said.
Since 2000, the Immigration and Refugee Board's records show that about half of the refugee claims of Egyptians were denied. The records don't show how many of those were Christians. Currently there are approximately 20 Egyptian Christians facing deportation from Canada.
In one case, the claimant sought refugee status after being beaten, he says, by a group of Muslim men because of his religion. A Muslim member of the IRB heard his claim, and denied him refuge. His case was appealed and he will receive another hearing.
Christians in the Middle East frequently face persecution for their faith, from restrictions on their religious freedom to imprisonment, torture, and even death.
In Afghanistan today a man is on trial for his life for converting to Christianity from Islam. Under Sharia law, rejecting Islam may carry the punishment of death.
Abdul Rahman converted to the Christian faith 16 years ago, while working with a Christian aid organization helping refugees in Pakistan. His family, estranged in a custody battle over his two children, denounced him to the authorities, reported the BBC today. When arrested, he was carrying a bible.
This is thought to be the first time an Afghan Christian has been put on trial for his life because of his faith.
If he recants, he will be "forgiven," said trial judge Ansarullah Mawlazezadah.
"We will invite him again because the religion of Islam is one of tolerance. We will ask him if he has changed his mind. If so we will forgive him," he told the BBC on Monday. If not, Mr. Rahman faces the possibility of death by execution.
Despite the reluctance of the IRB to offer asylum to persecuted Christians, refugees claiming homosexual persecution are assured of finding protection in Canada. Although sexual orientation is not specified under Canada's legislation, the category "membership in a particular social group" allows claims on grounds of sexual orientation.
To express concerns
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa
K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
GOV'T BILL GRANTS "FAMILY CLASS" TO IMMIGRATING HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/feb/01022203.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.