As reported by the Daily Express on December 4, 2016 the Archbishop of Mosul, the Archbishop of St Matthew’s covering the Nineveh valley, and the Archbishop of Homs and Hama in Syria were refused entry to Britain to attend the consecration of the Syriac Orthodox Cathedral in London, to which the Queen and the Prime Minister sent personal messages of support, and though they were invited by the Prince of Wales, who spoke at the service against the persecution of Christians in their countries.
Dr Martin Parsons, head of research at the Barnabas Fund, which helps Christians escape persecution, said that it was unbelievable to deny entry to ‘persecuted Christians who come from the cradle of Christianity…when the UK is offering a welcome to Islamists who persecute Christians.’ Dr Parsons pointed out that Britain grants visas to Islamic leaders who demand the execution of Christians accused of blasphemy against the Islamic faith, and it routinely grants asylum to senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood despite the fact that they repeatedly incite violence against the Egyptian Coptic Christian community.
Dominic Stockford, Chairman of the PTS, remarked
Although we have fundamental disagreements over the theology held by the Syrian Bishops, we still believe that the Home Office decision to bar them from entry into the UK is a disgrace. When we set this decision next to the Home Office guidance to presume that senior members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood should not merely be permitted entry, but be granted asylum in the UK, it seems that there is less than balance, but in fact bias against those who profess Christianity, in making these decisions.