Muslim asylum seekers from Iran are getting baptised 'in a bid to avoid getting kicked out of Britain'

Hundreds of Iranian asylum seekers are converting from Islam to Christianity in a bid to avoid deportation from Britain.The new Christians claim they face torture and possible execution if they are returned to their homeland after their conversion. Senior Church of England clerics have confirmed the spike in numbers of Muslims, the majority of whom are believed to be
seeking asylum from Iran, who want to become Christians. 

The Rev Peter Wilcox, Dean of Liverpool said the situation was similar to parents seeking baptism for their children to get them into a better school: 'Mixed motives are not unheard of. God alone knows the person's heard and we try to be consistent about that and not to set the bar at one height for middle-class aspiring parents seeking the best for the education of their children and the bar at another height for converts from Islam looking for asylum.'

He told the Sunday Times: 'Refuse Jemima baptism and she goes to school somewhere else. Refuse Mohammed baptism and he gets deported.' 

Rev Wilcox said over the past four years his cathedral has seen the conversion of about 200 asylum seekers. 

He added: 'I can't think of a single example of somebody who already had British citizenship converting her with us from Islam to Christianity.' 

The senior cleric admitted converting to Christianity significantly improved an asylum seeker's chances of getting asylum as it was difficult to return them to a Muslim country. 

Prospective converts in Liverpool have to attend a five-week course and participate in Christian ceremonies before their baptism. 

Hundreds of Iranians have also converted to Christianity in Germany in an effort to advance their asylum cases.  

The Home Office said converting to Christianity does not automatically result in a successful asylum claim. 

A Home Office official said: 'A document such as a baptism certificate would not automatically lead to a conversion claim being accepted as genuine but is given appropriate weight when considering all the evidence.'  Daily mail