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The INQUIRER |
Travelling from fear to uncertainty
Violence and the threat of forced marriages and a Jihadist Camp drove the Hassan family from their home. Home Office bureaucracy may send them back. Manchester District Unitarians are helping By Bob Pounder
Munazza Hassan and her three children share a flat on predominantly
white working-class council estate in South Manchester.
The flat is well-kept, sparsely furnished but comfortable.
Their life seems to be steady, with much to look forward to except
for one problem; Munazza is seeking asylum and nobody
seems to be taking much notice. She lives in fear of that knock
on the door, of being taken into detention and deported or of
being detained at Dallas Court Reporting Centre in Salford
Quays, Manchester, where she has to report twice a month.
Dallas Court is also known as a short term holding centre.
Munazza's plight and her quest for asylum in the UK has
been a long and painful journey, taking her from Karachi to
Lahore in Pakistan and then to Britain.
Munazza married in 1986, (her mother was no longer alive)
and her father did not approve. For the first three years, life
was good. 'Everything was normal at first', said Munazza.
But then her father, her only surviving relative, died and her
husband began to associate with men from an Islamic fundamentalist
organisation. That's when the arguments and the
domestic violence began. The organisation changed him from
being a model husband and father into a stranger, a stranger
who wanted only a religious education for his daughters Rubab
and Kiran who - in their father's view - would be selected
at an early age for an arranged marriage. For his son Naveed,
education would entail being sent away from home for jihad
training.
A well-meaning neighbour and family friend witnessed the
change in Munazza's husband, how he had changed from a
normal family man to become an intolerant religious militant.
The friend also knew about the deteriorating family situation
and the increasing levels of violence. His attempts to reason
with Munazza's husband were futile.
As Munazza's husband became more involved with the fundamentalists,
he completed the transformation of his life by
resigning from his well-paid job with a wholesale company.
He would bring his new friends and associates to the family
home to discuss business and to plan the future of his children.
Commitment to the organisation meant that he would spend
days away from home. On his return, he would discover that
against his wishes, Munazza had sent her children to school,
arguments would ensue and Munazza would be beaten. On one
occasion, he threw boiling tea on her arm, leaving her scarred,
and shouted that he would scald her whole body.
When Munazza came to her fourth pregnancy in 1998, the
beatings continued and she suffered a miscarriage. The doctors
informed Munazza that she would not be able to have any
more children and advised her not to take legal action against
her husband, which, in any case, would be frowned upon in
Pakistan. As the violence progressed, her husband began to
use a stick with which to mete out the punishments in front of
the children. One such beating broke Munazza's shoulder and
the local doctor was unable to set it properly. The resultant
damage and pain incapacitated her for six months. Her shoulder
is now permanently damaged.
There were religious differences when Munazza, a Shia
Muslim, married her Sunni husband. In the early days, this was
not a matter of concern. But, of course, later on it was. He insisted
that the children be brought up as Sunni Muslims. When
Rubab was 11 years old, she and her mother attended a Majlis,
a Shia religious event. In response to this transgression, both
mother and daughter were slapped and beaten.
When he was 14 years of age, Naveed fled the family home
for a week to avoid being sent away for jihad training. On his
return, his father insisted that he was going to be sent away
for jihad training no matter what. Another family argument
erupted. Munazza said, 'He started beating us again and then
locked all four of us in a room, saying that he would decide
something that night. 'We knew that he would do something
very bad, kill us or something'
When Munazza's husband left the house that day, a neighbour
hearing the family shout for help came to the rescue and
helped them to escape from their home in Karachi to rented
accommodation in Lahore.
Vulnerable, and without family support, there was little option
but to flee Pakistan and to seek asylum in Britain. With the
help of an agent, Munazza and her three children travelled by
sea arriving in Liverpool in August 2004.
An initial Home Office screening interview took place in
order to look at the Hassan's case and this was to be followed
up by a full interview. However, the letter inviting Munazza to
attend the full interview was sent to the address of her earlier
temporary accommodation in Manchester, and she did not receive
it in time. She was therefore ruled out of the time limit
for the opportunity to properly present her case in more detail
and her appeal for asylum was rejected by the adjudicator in
Manchester.
Asylum in the UK provides an easy living for bogus solicitors.
These solicitors have little or no training and are in no
position to guide anyone through the complexities of immigration law and procedure.
In 2006 the family found themselves
imprisoned in Yarlswood Detention Centre because their appeal
papers had been sent to the wrong department. The solicitor
had sent the wrong forms. In detention at Yarlswood, the
'get out of jail card' consisted of a fax to the Home Office confirming
that Munazza Hassan was indeed appealing the decision
of the Home Office in not granting asylum. That fax from
her solicitor, according to Munazza, cost £500, bringing her
legal costs up to £4000, a big item when you are not allowed to
work and have to live on 70% of benefit entitlement.
Back home in Manchester, the future is far from certain.
Naveed, now 20, a highly intelligent young man, has done exceptionally
well at school and college, achieving membership
of the Association of Accounting Technicians. He would like
to complete his studies and become a chartered accountant, but
his status as an 'asylum seeker' prohibits this.
Rubab, 18, has also done brilliantly at school. She has Alevels
in Maths, Biology and Chemistry. She said: 'Because of
my hard work I have been awarded a grant of £2000-a-year to
attend Manchester University.'
The youngest child, Kiran, is no exception in that she follows
her elder brother and sister's academic achievements. At
14, she is predicted to score very highly in her SATS at her
local high school.
The circumstances surrounding the family's plight, the sense
of isolation and fear of reprisals from Pakistan left Munazza
erring on the side of caution. But things may now change. With
support and advice from Emma Ginn of the National Coalition
Against Deportation Campaigns, access to the right legal advice
and correspondence with the local MP, this is a campaign
that Unitarians can take up and win.
Bob Pounder is a member of Oldham Unitarian Chapel.
For information and offers of support, contact:
bob.pounder@tesco.net
MDA hears of Hassan family's struggle
Manchester District Association of Unitarians pledges help to Hassan family. General Assembly Executive Committee to discuss issue at next meeting. By Bob Pounder
Munazza Hassan and her
three children have resided
in the UK since 2004.
Escaping the brutality
of domestic violence in
Pakistan, the family continue
to live as asylum
seekers. Always living in
the shadow of the threat of
deportation, living in fear,
of uncertainty and without
the same rights of other
UK residents. They continue
to look forward to an
end of their ordeal, to be
able to settle and to live a
normal life in Britain. Recently Unitarians in Manchester have
pledged to get behind a campaign that could help to bring an
end to the family's plight.
At Cross Street Chapel, the May meeting of the Manchester District Association received Munazza Hassan and her three children: Naveed, Rubab and Kiran. The MDA President Marian Nuttall invited Munazza's son, Naveed to address the delegates: 'The reason that we claimed asylum', said Naveed, 'was that our father became our worst enemy. He wanted me to go into jihad training and wanted my sisters to get married - even though they were under-age - to some strangers who we didn't even know. He was against our education. He was against modern education, believing that it stood in the way, between a Muslim and his beliefs. My mother did not agree with this view and this led to arguments in which he would abuse her verbally and physically as well.'
'The night we left our house we were locked up in a room by my father. He came and asked me to pack my bags because I was to be sent away for jihad training. My mother opposed it. He locked us in a room and said he would "do something about this".'
Naveed explained that the Home Office has argued that the family should return and live in another area of Pakistan. In Home Office speak, this is known as 'internal relocation'. But, given the strong cultural differences that arise from area to area, those familiar with life in Pakistan know that this is not possible. This would be especially true for Munazza who has no support or family in Pakistan. 'If you do move to a different place; people realise it straight away, they know you don't belong, especially a mother on her own with three children,' said Naveed.
Life in the UK has not been easy for the family. Naveed
recalled a 5 am visit from six immigration officers about 18
months ago. In spite of legal representation and a pending appeal,
the whole family - including the girls - were handcuffed
and taken from Manchester to Bedford, where they were detained.
'We were basically in jail,' recalled Naveed. 'We were
locked up behind closed doors for three days until we managed
to get a solicitor to fax the details of our case to the Home Office.
We could have done it ourselves but we weren't allowed
to. The solicitor charged us £500 and we had to borrow money
to pay the fee.'
Continuing his address, Naveed said, 'After coming to the UK, we were keen to get on with our education. I initially finished my national certificate, my A-levels and I have also qualified to become a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians. 'My sister Rubab will be finishing her A levels in June this year and she will be taking a degree in pharmacy at the University of Manchester; she has been offered a £2000 scholarship. My younger sister Kiran she has just completed her key stage SATS in her high school. I hope I may be able to start my course in chartered accountancy.'
The local MP Paul Goggins remains sympathetic and helpful. When Naveed sent an email, Mr Goggins contacted him by phone and then found time to meet the family. The MP has raised the matter with Liam Byrne, the Minister for Immigration. But the waiting and the uncertainty remain. 'We are one of the Home Office's old cases, remarked Naveed. 'They are currently dealing with 450, 000 cases.'
'When we first came to this country, we thought that everything would be straightforward. We did not know how difficult it could be to obtain asylum and how important it is to have a campaign and to get support. This is why we are here tonight. If you can help us by writing letters to the immigration minister about our case and signing petitions, we would be really grateful.'
At the close of Naveed's address, the president allowed time for a full discussion in which Naveed answered many questions about the family's case, their hopes for the future, and the difficulties of obtaining good legal representation. The Manchester District Association pledged to help through petitions, and letters. Hopefully, at their next meeting, the Executive Committee of the General Assembly will be able to throw its weight behind this work, giving the campaign a welcome boost and proving once again that Unitarians take social responsibility seriously.
For a campaign pack e-mail bob.pounder@tesco.net
If you would like to help the Hassan family stay in Britain There are several ways to help:
- Ask the Unitarian General Assembly Executive Committee to formally support the 'Munazza Campaign' and encourage the Chief Executive to write to the Immigration Minister and to Paul Goggins, Munazza's MP
- Write to the Immigration Minister as an individual or seek the support of your congregation and write to the Immigration Minister and Munazza's MP. (See sample letter below)
- Write to your own MP.
Send copies of any correspondence to: Bob Pounder, Oldham Unitarian Chapel, Connaught Street, King Street, OL8 1EB so that a portfolio of supporting papers can be created. - The campaign also seeks the services of a solicitor.
Contact Bob Pounder on bob.pounder@tesco.net Liam Byrne, Minister for Immigration, 3rd Floor, Peel Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF Include this reference: Munazza Hassan, Home Office Ref. No. H1130822
Compose a letter or use this sample text: Mrs Hassan, who is a Shia Muslim, was subject to extreme violence from her husband, who is a Sunni Muslim. After their marriage in Pakistan, Munazza's husband became a religious extremist, forbidding the education of his daughters. He planned to enter them into an arranged marriage, whilst his son was to be sent away from home for 'Jihad Training'.
The subsequent disagreements led to beatings that were meted out to the children as well. In fear of their lives, Munazza and her children left the family home in Karachi and escaped to Lahore. Knowing that her husband would eventually track her down in Pakistan, Munazza fled to the UK in 2004. In her unsuccessful asylum appeal hearing, the immigration judge said that, "It is clear that domestic violence against women is widespread. Women suffer gross treatment in a variety of ways. Several Pakistani laws explicitly discriminate against women." If Munazza and her children were to be sent back to Pakistan, their lives would be in danger. The Country Report on Human Rights Practices published by the US Department of State on 11 March 2008 claimed that, "domestic violence is a widespread and serious problem. Husbands reportedly beat and occasionally kill their wives" Munazza and her children, Naveed, Rubab and Kiran have settled in the UK and integrated well into the local community. The children continue to excel in their individual academic pursuits. They are truly outstanding as their record of achievement show.
I am therefore asking that Munazza Hassan and her three children be given leave to remain in the UK on compassionate grounds.
Sign with your full name and address.