UK ‘discriminates against Christians fleeing Islamic State' in Syria

Figures obtained by the Barnabas Fund – an agency which helps persecuted Christians – show that the Government and UN have prioritised Sunni Muslims over Christians for asylum.

Of 8,136 given shelter in the UK in 2015 and 2016, only 70 were Christians. A mere 22 were Yazadis, a religious group that combines Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

There were 33 Shi’ite Muslims and the rest were Sunni. Of 10,801 resettled by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between October 2015 and September 2016, only 56 were Christians, 20 Shi’ite and 17 Yazidis.

The rest were Sunnis. This is despite IS efforts to wipe out Christians and Yazadis. In 2014 10,000 Yazadis were killed or kidnapped in a few days, with Christians murdered in their thousands by IS.

IS has published photos of beheaded Christian men and slave markets with prices for Christian and Yazadi women.

Barnabus Fund’s Martin Parsons said: “This is shocking behaviour by the UN and UK officials.

“In 2005 the UN adopted the responsibility of states to protect citizens from genocide and crimes against humanity. These statistics show that it has failed miserably in this. Christians and other minorities have been treated shamefully by the UN. And the UK has outsourced its own responsibilities in spite of repeated representations.”

The Home Office said: “Our scheme will prioritise the most vulnerable refugees. “That is why under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees identifies people using established vulnerability criteria.”