A multi-faith peace vigil will be held in Bradford city centre this weekend.  The event has been organised by the BPCA and Mohammed Fiaz (Ex-Muslim who converted to Christinaity in his teens) in response to the recent attack on Nissar Hussain, one of many converts to Christianity who has faced great persecution for his choice to quit Islam.  They will be joined by the Bishop of Bradford, Toby Howarth.

Organisers hope the protest will galvanise support from people across the UK concerned about the rise of intolerance and who adhere to a belief that life is precious and should be free from imposition.  A petition will then be submitted to the local council calling for better policing protocol, community cohesion policies and practices, and help for victims of apostasy hatred. The event will also be a chance for campaigners to call for information on the assailants who attacked Mr Hussain on 17th November and beat him with the handle of a pick-axe leaving him admitted to hospital for 6 days.

Thus far none of the attackers have yet been identified.  Read more (click here).

Sign our petition (click here)

Nissar Hussain, said:

“We are under the cosh and classed as blasphemers. The Muslim community are largely decent people but because of the taboo of converting to Christianity we are classed by them as scum and second-class citizens. Most of the Muslim community here have turned a blind eye to what we are going through. There are some who have condoned it but there are also those who are directly committing hate crimes against us.”

As a result of this unprovoked assault Nissar has been left with a fractured kneecap; a fractured left hand; and extensive bruising all over his body. Due to the severity of these injuries to his knee and hand he has had to undergo major surgery.

Date:                              5th December 2015 

Time:                             14:00 (2PM)

Venue:                           Outside Bradford City Hall, Norfolk Gardens, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 1UH

Later an on-line petition will be submitted to 10 Downing Street calling for a national policing policy that includes adequate protocols for tackling the rise of apostasy hatred in the UK and for apostasy hatred to be included within the existing framework of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006.

Despite his fragile and threatened state Nissar Hussain has decided to join the protest. Will you come out and support him?

Muhammed Fiaz an ex-Muslim himself who appeared in a BBC documentary in 2014 called three stories of losing faith in Islam (click here), was moved by the recent attack on Nissar Hussain said:

“Nissar has been failed by his local community, failed by the church, failed by the police and failed by the government.  His suffering reminds us that intolerance has to be stopped and the buck stops with us.” 

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the BPCA, said:

“It amazes me that within a free democratic nation with an established police force and robust legal framework, apostasy hate crimes of this nature are able to go unpunished and perpetrators enjoy an impunity that would be enviable in more primitive environments such as Pakistan. These failings suggest Britain is catering to the whim of extremists leaving victims such as Nissar Hussain to suffer the ignominy of a cycle of relocation from one area of hatred to another at great loss to their financial, mental and physical health.”