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Church of Scotland
UK News

PM promises to 'look into' case of Christian brothers facing deportation

by Eno Adeogun

The boy's plight was raised during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday by Paul Sweeney, MP for Glasgow North East, who has urged the Home Office a number of times to allow the boys to stay in Scotland.

Mr Sweeney told Premier: "I raised the case of the two teenage brothers in my constituency - Somer and Areeb because I've been so moved by the family's plight over the last few years where they've faced a total state of limbo by the Home Office in their asylum application.

 

"They've showed so much fortitude and humility in the face of the testing situation they've been faced by the Home Office's indifference."

Theresa May told the House of Commons she would ensure that the Home Office "looks again" at the Bakhsh family's case.

 

The family - with the support of their community - have been fighting for over seven years to stay in the country they now call home.

Almost 90,000 have signed a petition asking the Home Office not to deport the family.

The petition was started by Rev Linda Pollock, the pastor of Possilpark Parish Church in Glasgow where the family worships.

Mr Sweeney told members of the House that the petition recently delivered to the Home Office had been met with "callous indifference".

Church of Scotland

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted that the family were "being failed by this Tory Government".

Mr Corbyn added: "I met them this summer. They told me first-hand how Theresa May's 'hostile environment' is causing so much misery."

Somer, 15, Areeb, 13 and their parents are afraid they will be killed by Islamic extremists if they are sent back to Pakistan where Christians are often persecuted.

When speaking to Premier, Mr Sweeney commended both the family and all those that have supported the boys.

"They've had the support of multi-faith communities in Glasgow, including the moderator of the Church of Scotland and the former Archbishop of Glasgow in their case," he said.

"They are living in the most humble and basic of conditions - indeed slum accommodation could be the best way to describe it, yet they show so much dignity and the boys are doing so well academically and have so much potential."

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