PM's Special Envoy for Religion or Belief receives asylum petition

Last autumn, we began a petition asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to grant asylum for 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz and her family. Maira, a Christian girl from Pakistan, was abducted, drugged and gang-raped and blackmailed. She was forced to convert and marry her abductor, a man 30 years her senior. By the grace of God, Maira was able to escape her captor but since then she and her family have been in hiding and receiving constant death threats.

As a result of your astonishing compassion and concern, we are now able to tell you that the petition has been presented to Fiona Bruce MP, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Religious Freedom or Belief. On behalf of ACN and you, our dear benefactors, Fiona Bruce is – in her own words – “immediately drawing [this petition] to the attention of the Home Secretary Priti Patel for her urgent consideration.” And Neville Kyrke-Smith, ACN(UK) National Director, submitted an open letter to No. 10, again calling on the PM to give Maira asylum, signed by MPs, peers, bishops and charity leaders.

It is only thanks to you – and the other 12,300 people who signed this petition – that this has been possible. Your support for this petition and our advocacy work shows that ACN benefactors are tired of political platitudes and now want action for persecuted and suffering Christians. Your voice matters and the acceptance of ACN’s petition is evidence that together we can bring about change.

Thank you for being a part of this and we hope that our prayers will be answered and Maira and her family will be granted asylum so they can live freely, as they deserve.