Somer and Areeb must stay in the UK

Dear friends, our MP, Paul Sweeney, raised the case in the House of Commons yesterday and Theresa May promised that she would ask the Home Office to re-examine the case. This has given us a glimmer of hope that decency, compassion and commonsense will prevail. Thanks so much for your support and please encourage your friends and family to sign the petition.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17005219.theresa-may-promises-to-look-again-at-case-of-two-naturalised-glaswegian-asylum-seekers-fearing-deportation/

http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news_and_events/news/2018/Moderator_hands_over_petition_to_save_teenage_brothers_from_deportation

Dear friends, this morning around 60 of us gathered at the Home Office in Glasgow. Standing with us was Mr Paul Sweeney, MP & the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend Susan Brown. With colourful banners & youthful enthusiasm from several young people from Springburn Academy, & other schools, we presented our petition to the Security Guard! That's all the Home Office could muster for such an occasion! A reflection of the fear that pervades the government - a very decent Security Guard, yes, but why couldn't someone from an office or a senior member of staff receive our gift - & it is a gift, make no mistake, for our petition is removing any further debate or difficult decision - just grant asylum!! We welcomed a significant number of the Press who were wonderful. We push on with a sense of gratitude to all who have supported Somer & Areeb, & the belief that compassion, decency & good sense will prevail! Thank you, we are humbled by your efforts on behalf of our boys.

http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news_and_events/news/2018/Labour_leader_meets_asylum_seekers_at_Glasgow_Church

Dear friends, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn came to our church yesterday to meet asylum seekers that we are supporting and met Somer and Areeb. He has pledged his support to our campaign and thanks each and everyone of you who has signed this petition. It is greatly and deeply appreciated by the family and their supporters. We are planning to hand it over to the Home Office next week and would dearly love the number of signatures to surpass 100,000 to send the Home Office a clear message that Somer and Areeb should not be removed from their home city of Glasgow and sent back to a country that is foreign to them - a place where their lives will be in danger. Please encourage your friends and family to sign this petition - it represents a glimmer of hope for the future. Thanks so much for all your help, it is making a huge difference.

Dear friends, Scottish school pupils got their exam results today and despite living with uncertainty and the stress and trauma of not knowing if he was going to be deported, Somer excelled in his exams. He got six A's and a B in his National 5's... A's in Chemistry, Physics, Math's, English, History, Music and a B in Design and Manufacture. This is a remarkable achievement under trying circumstances. Somer is very happy with his results and his parents are very proud of what he has achieved. He is an extremely bright boy and very conscientious in everything he does. This is a 15-year-old boy in the middle of a traumatic situation and look at what he has achieved. I am very proud of him and these results are testament to his character. Just think of what this young man would be capable of in the future if he is allowed the chance to flourish in our country, which is his country.
https://stv.tv/news/west-central/1426252-teenage-asylum-seeker-gets-six-as-despite-deportation-fears/

Dear Friends, our meeting with Mr Paul Sweeney MP, Mr Bob Doris MSP and the Right Rev. Susan Brown, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, went very well. I am greatly impressed that the two Politicians, Labour and SNP, have put 'party politics' aside for the good of this family. We are moving forward with a strong strategy in place. Please keep inviting others to sign our petition, we would like 80,000 signatures to solidify our case. Take a look at the video Cameron has made, see our boys, flesh and blood, decent and loving, who simply want a chance to make a life for themselves and serve others. Let's continue refusing to dehumanise these children and affirm their right to celebrate their gift of life.Thanks so much for all your help, it is making a huge difference.

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Right Rev Susan Brown, has met with Somer and Areeb Umeed who tell her why they are terrified of being kicked out of Scotland and sent back to Pakistan where Christians are persecuted and blasphemy carries the death penalty. Paul Sweeney, MP for Glasgow North East, and Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, explain why they are fighting for the boys and their parents so they can stay in Glasgow. https://youtu.be/KlZkTWFllS4