Brickbat: Strict Scrutiny
Both the Church of England and the National Secular Society have lashed out at a British government decision to deny asylum to an Iranian Christian because the man claimed Christianity is a peaceful religion. The Home Office rejected the man's case, writing a letter to him citing violence and violent imagery in the Bible which it said "are inconsistent with your claim that you converted to Christianity after discovering it is a 'peaceful' religion, as opposed to Islam which contains violence, rage and revenge." After the response, a government spokesman acknowledged, "This letter is not in accordance with our policy approach to claims based on religious persecution, including conversions to a particular faith."
