Father-of-six said neighbours see him and his family as 'blasphemers'

CCTV has captured the moment a father-of-six was brutally set upon by hooded thugs with a pickaxe handle outside his home because he converted from Islam to Christianity.

Nissar Hussain, from Bradford, suffered a broken kneecap, a fractured forearm and a concussion in the attack on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old is currently in Bradford Royal Infirmary following surgery after the unprovoked assault outside his home in Manningham.

The episode was caught on Mr Hussain's home CCTV and is being reviewed by West Yorkshire Police, who have confirmed they are treating it as a religious hate crime.

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Nissar Hussain, 49, with his wife Kubra, 45, pictured at their home in Bradford. He and his family have been targeted by thugs because he converted from Islam to Christianity, he claims

The assault was caught on Mr Hussain's home CCTV and is being reviewed by West Yorkshire Police, who have confirmed they are treating this as a religious hate crime

Mr Hussain went outside at around 5pm to move his car outside Lawcroft House Police Station.He was attacked by two men, who suddenly stopped their car on the other side of the road

The men, who Mr Hussain was unable to identify, were only stopped when Mr Hussain's Polish neighbours chased them away

Mr Hussain went outside at around 5pm to move his car outside Lawcroft House Police Station, which he has been forced to do after his vehicle has been damaged over six times in a year.

He was attacked by two men, who suddenly stopped their car on the other side of the road and got out to begin the assault.

One man used pickaxe handle, while the other rained on Mr Hussain with a number of punches and kicks.

The men, who Mr Hussain was unable to identify, were only stopped when Mr Hussain's Polish neighbours chased them away.

'I felt like I was holding on for dear life,' said Mr Hussain, a professional landlord.

'It all happened so fast that I was unable to react. I remember just walking out of the gate and putting my foot off the kerb. Next thing I saw was a pickaxe coming towards me.

'On instinct I tried to cover my head with my arms but the force of the blow knocked me back and my heel clipped the kerb to send me to the ground.

'I also hit my head on the wall which gave me a concussion but I was still conscious. I continued to block their shots to my head with my arms while on the ground but as soon as they realized that, they just began attacking my legs.'

The 49-year-old is currently in Bradford Royal Infirmary following surgery after the unprovoked assault outside his home in Manningham

Mr Hussain has said his family has been living in fear since they appeared in a Channel 4 documentary about the mistreatment of Muslim converts in 2008.

He claims they have been subjected to a tirade of abuse and threats to their lives, as well as thousands of pounds worth of physical damage to their home and cars.

Mr Hussain has also previously been attacked in the street before and has accused the police of failing to help him and his family.

Police have been called out on a number of occasions over the years but this is the first time they have classed an incident a religious hate crime.

The family moved to their current address after experiencing problems at their previous home in Bradford, where they claimed they were driven out by some Muslim residents.

Mr Hussain said they were first welcomed into the street but that all changed after the TV documentary revealed they had converted from Islam to Christianity.

He said: 'This last year has been the most terrifying. My family has to be brave as soon as they leave the front door. This country is a civilized society and we are not in Pakistan. We have the right to go about our daily lives and not be threatened because of our religion.

He claims they have been subjected to a tirade of abuse and threats to their lives, as well as thousands of pounds worth of physical damage to their home and cars

'We are classed as blasphemers by some members the Muslim community. They call scum and treat us as second-class citizens. I still do not regret speaking out in the documentary as this is an issue for converts up and down the country. I should not have to be concerned for my own safety as well as my family. These people are leaving us with no human dignity.

We have been looking to move for a long time now but we should not be subjected to such abuse by certain individuals in this community.'

Detective Inspector Andy Howard, of Bradford District CID, said initial investigations suggested is was a targeted attack and it is being treated as a religious hate crime.