Parish campaign saves family from blasphemy laws

BY ANABEL INGE
A CATHOLIC family of asylum-seekers in Swansea who fled Pakistan after one of them was accused of breaching Islamic blasphemy laws has won a last-minute reprieve following a hard fought battle by fellow parishioners and locals, Supporters at the Masih family's parish of St Illtyd's in St Thomas, Swansea, waged a desperate campaign to reverse the decision to deport the family and prayed at daily Masses for their release from a removal centre in London, where they were being held temporarily.
Initially, the Masihs' request for asylum was rejected because the Home Office was not convinced that the family was Christian, so the campaigners gathered documents to present to the Home Office in order to prove that the Marcus and Susan Masih and their three children were Catholics.
In addition, St Illtyd's Fr Paul Brophy appealed to Bishop Mark Jabale of Menevia to come to the aid of the Masihs, concerned they may be persecuted, tortured or even killed because of their faith if forced to return to Pakistan.
Representations by the bishop led to the involvement of Archbishop Sainz Munoz, the Papal Nuncio.
Fr Paul Brophy told the South Wales Evening Post that the Masihs, who he described as "lawabiding', lovely people, who have become very popular in Danygraig parish", would face "dreadful persecution" if they returned to Pakistan.
The news that the family, which settled in Swansea over three years ago, would be released from a removal centre in Tinsley House was welcomed by fellow parishioners.
Rose Maunder, a member of St Illtyd's Union of Catholic Mothers, said: "We are as a family parish absolutely ecstatic. It's wonderful news. It was just keeping them off that plane — that was our main priority."
Alderman Charles Thomas, a papal knight, said: "The family are loved by everybody in the parish. We are all very, very pleased."
However, Sian James, MP for Swansea East, predicted that further campaigning would be necessary to keep the Masihs safe.
"We have to keep on representing the family and the community and try to help them," she said.
Mr Masih sought asylum in Britain after he was arrested in Pakistan for allegedly offending the Prophet Mohammed.
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan stipulate the death penalty for anyone deemed to have insulted Mohammed, the founder of Islam.
Mr Masih told the South Wales Evening Post how, after a failed asylum bid, seven immigration officers in riot gear raided his house as he and his wife were getting their three children. aged between five anrd 10, ready to go to the local Catholic school, St Illtyd's. Threatened with deportation, Mr Masih contacted Alan Richards, a St Thomas councillor and a fellow parishioner, who helped to set up the campaign to keep the family in Swansea.
Aid agencies such as the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement (CLAAS), Aid to the Church in Need and the Barnabas Fund have persistently attempted to draw public attention to the iniquity of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which are increasingly used to persecute religious minorities in the country.
"There is a prevailing hate against Christians in Pakistan and it is growing all the time." said Nasir Saeed. coordinator of CLAAS. "Religious intolerance and fundamentalism are rising."