The Home Office quoted excerpts from the bible in the man's rejection letter – saying the book of Revelations is "filled with imagery of revenge, destruction, death and violence," and concluded that "These examples 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."

When contacted by The Independent, the Home Office essentially said "our bad" – claiming that the letter was "not in accordance" with proper policies for claims based on religious persecution, and that it was working to improve employee training.

Lawyers and campaigners said the case demonstrated a "distortion of logic" and a "reckless" approach to asylum seekers' lives, stemming from a tendency by the department to "come up with any reason they can to refuse" cases. –The Independent