Asylum seekers and Christianity: how much of a problem is it?

Former Church of England priest claims there is a 'conveyor belt' of 'asylum baptisms'

Cross with steps leading to an asylum doorway
Afghan-born Abdul Ezedi, the Clapham corrosive substance attack suspect, was granted asylum in the UK after converting to Christianity
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images)

Judges have allowed criminals to use Christianity to escape deportation, according to a newspaper analysis.

"Murderers, sex offenders and drug dealers are among the migrants who have escaped deportation by claiming to have converted to Christianity," said The Times.

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  Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.