After years of being persecuted for turning his back on Islam, a Christian man was forced to leave his home in Manningham, Bradford when threats against his life intensified.
Nissar Hussain and his family decided to vacate their home on Nov. 3 after police warned them of imminent threats. Although the police provided a phantom car outside their home to deter possible attacks, they admitted they would not be able to give Nissar 24/7 protection and recommended that they move to a safer place, the British Pakistani Christian Association reported.
The Hussain family consulted with the BPCA regarding the warning, and the BPCA helped them find a new home.
Although Nissar and his family felt sad to leave the place and people they have come to love through the years, they decided it was the best thing to do, especially when they felt that Bradford police lacked commitment in their response regarding Nissar’s case.
“My family are distraught and extremely traumatised to be leaving. But when your life is at stake there is no other choice,” Nissar said, according to Metro. “This extreme persecution by certain people in the Muslim community because we are converts has broken us as a family.”
Nissar converted to Christianity 20 years ago. He didn’t have any problem until he told a long-time Muslim friend about his conversion. Since that time, they had been repeatedly harassed in their predominantly Muslim neighborhood.
Nissar moved his family to Manningham to avoid further persecution. However, a few years ago, he agreed to appear in a Channel 4 documentary about Muslims who convert to other faiths. His face and real name appeared in the program, exposing him yet once more to the ire of Muslim attackers.
He and his family endured persecution in the last seven years. In December 2015, Nissar was brutally attacked right in front of his house, leaving him with a shattered arm and a smashed knee. He was on crutches for more than eight weeks.
“By God’s grace I survived the attack, after a bat swing intended to strike my head was thwarted by my hand shattering every bone in my right hand,” he told BPCA.
A spokesman for the West Yorkshire police denied Nissar’s claims that they lacked support, saying it has been their priority to “minimise the risk to Mr. Hussain and ensure that we maximise opportunities to put control measures in place” for his and his family’s safety.
‘We are disappointed that Mr Hussain and his family have decided to leave Bradford, particularly as police and partners have been working together for some time to try and resolve the situation to the benefit of all parties concerned,” the spokesman said, adding that they do not tolerate hate crime under any circumstance.
