Former Muslim, son of Hamas leader granted U.S. asylum

Former Muslim, son of Hamas leader granted U.S. asylum

SAN DIEGO — Mosab Hassan Yousef, the eldest son of a prominent Hamas leader on the West Bank and author of a globally circulated book recounting his conversion to Christianity, has been granted asylum in the United States by an immigration judge.

In a 15-minute hearing June 30, Judge Rico Bartolomei said Yousef will be allowed to remain in the United States after he is fingerprinted and passes a routine background check. An attorney for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Bartolomei the government was dropping its objections to Yousef’s request for asylum.

The surprise decision came after a storm of public criticism over Homeland Security’s announced intention to deport Yousef back to his West Bank homeland — making him almost certain to be killed by Hamas, supporters said. His life also would be in danger for leaving Islam to follow Jesus Christ, they noted.

In his book, “Son of Hamas,” Yousef, 32, recounted that he worked as a secret agent for the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet for more than 10 years as a way of countering violence in the Mideast that he had come to regard as senseless. In a 2008 Baptist Press article, Yousef said he became disillusioned with Hamas’ lack of morality and integrity after he was incarcerated at age 18 for his leadership in a Hamas youth organization.