A Woman from Pakistan has been granted asylum status in Britain, because - wait for it - she's too tall to return home.
Zainab Bibi stands at 7ft 2in and claims she afraid to return home to Pakistan because local people in her village are afraid of her and throw stones at her.
Miss Bibi, who speaks no English (surprise, surprise) arrived two-and-a-half years ago and has spent much of the time since on benefits.
She has been able to send money home to her family while Home Office investigators examine her application for political asylum.
Miss Bibi, 35, a former holder of the 'world's tallest woman' title, said when she lodged her claim that she was afraid to return to Pakistan because youths had thrown stones at her, pulled at her clothing and she once broke her wrist when attacked.
Yet back in the impoverished, Punjabi village of Mandi Rajana where she was born, her family, friends and police suggest that far from being a victim, her international recognition meant she enjoyed celebrity status whenever she returned home.
Her widowed mother Iqbal Bibi, 72, kissed her picture and said: 'She is safe here but if she is happy in England - and the people are very kind to her, she says - then her happiness is our happiness.'
It was after a 15-day trip to Britain carrying out promotional work in June 2006 that Miss Bibi, who had a two-year visitor's visa, lodged her asylum claim and was given a council flat in Stockport, together with £40 a week in benefits.
Her request to stay took family and friends by surprise because in recent years she had used her height to earn money, making dozens of public appearances in her own country and abroad.
Speaking through an interpreter, she said she believed her application would be successful and added that she was living in a free house with free medical treatment and a 'generous' allowance.
"I am very happy in Britain" She said.
Yeah, I bet you are love.
Waffle King
chop her legs off at the knees and send her home, then she won't be as tall and this country gets it's self a flat back.
(I'm feeling slightly evil this week, so please excuse)
Raymond
That's not evil it's common sense.
Again, well done Waff for commenting on something that seems to have failed to get anybody's attention.
david hobbs
Be reasonable.
This woman could not possibly be here for a short stay.
david hobbs
My daughter just came back from India.
You can't move for English over there.
I don think they get dole money and a flat though, they are a bit old fashioned and pay their way.
GenieDi
One story I read online today saying how many Polish here losing their jobs but if they have families are opting to stay here on benefits. If they are single they are more likely to go home.
But on the other hand, Dell are closing a factory in Limerick and transferring the work to Poland, so will any of the Irish workers go there for their jobs back?? I doubt it.
Raymond
I actually have a lot of Polish friends and the thing I like about many of the Poles is they will tell you upfront, most of them are here simply to earn money.
Most of them aren't here to sponge money off the social, they want to work and earn.
I really can't argue with that.
And let's face it, if our own people weren't so lazy and got off their arses and looked for work we wouldn't need to bring eastern europeans in to do all the menial jobs.
GenieDi
i agree with what you say, there was a week long series of programmes last year, something like white working class british I think it was called.
Looking at different aspects of life, they had a programme called the Poles are Coming, think based somewhere like Peterborough.
Some of the stories were quite sad, men leaving their families to come here and work to send money home. Many were fruit picking and the like.
When the programme makers questioned some unemployed young men leaving the job centre after signing on about taking those types of jobs, they laughed in the interviewers faces!
Says it all really.
Raymond
Sadly it's true. My neighbour's daughter is out of work and only 19. I saw a job offer in one of the local supermarkets and told her about it.
She looked at me like I had just wiped dog's poo on her.
"Me?" she said "Work in a supermarket"???
I guess it's classier to sponge free money off the state.
GenieDi
My daughter has learning difficulties and after leaving school went to Colchester Institute to do a pathways course, a basic learning skills one which should help in everyday life.
I eventually got Mencap involved and she was given a support worker who got her 8 hours a week in Woolies.
She is brilliant on a till, but in other areas just has no focus to keep on target and has no initiative.
She eventually with their help got a full time job in QD in Colchester. A few months later the Mencap adviser was withdrawn through lack of funding, within a short while she got the sack.
She has been out of work over 18 months. the JobCentre will not recognise her problems and get her the disability help sh needs. At one point recently after putting her on a 13 week course, she was found a work placement in Peacocks in Harwich. This meant for 12 weeks she would be working 24 hours a week for them for notihing.
Within 10 days they got rid of her. they didn't understand her problems, and weren't prepared to give her more support.
Jobcentre even after all this still do not support her.
Slightly off topic I know, but it annoys me people are not treated as individuals.
