Losing my religion: With a little financial and spiritual help, family of eight converts

Khidmat-e-Ummat Foundation claims Christian family approached them.

KARACHI:

An organisation behind 55 Christian conversions went public with its latest case, saying that it was needed given the recent condemnations.

Ilyas and Rani Masih came to the Karachi Press Club with the Khidmat-e-Ummat Foundation with their four sons and two daughters. Ilyas said that he was impressed by Islam and wanted to convert. “Rani also showed interest after I talked about it.” He said. “I did not force my wife and children. I asked them to live their own life if they wanted to, and told them that I will still support them financially. But my wife insisted that she was with me.”

After the parents converted, their children between the ages of four and 12 years followed suit. “My wife and I informed our children about converting to Islam and they had to convert as well,” Ilyas said. He works as a rickshaw driver and lives in a rented house in Khuda ki Basti, Lyari. “I informed my relatives and extended family before converting but they did not believe me,” he said. “I am really excited that my Muslim brothers have welcomed me warmly.” The family was flanked by members of the foundation, Tariq Mehmood Ghazi, Shahzad Ahmed, Qari Amjad Ali, on both sides. They stressed that the family was not pressurised. “They contacted us and we helped them embrace Islam,” they said.

However, the foundation decided that a press conference was needed, given the current climate.

“The activists of ‘so-called’ civil society condemn the conversion of Dr Hafsa and Faryal Bibi,” said Qari Muhammad Amjad, the general secretary, referring to two cases of Hindu woman.

These two cases have assumed national proportion and the women Lata Kumari and Rinkle Kumari have been summoned by the Supreme Court. The matter has been discussed in the National Assembly and even the president has come under pressure to stop forced conversions. Legislation is expected to be in the works.

Amjad said they will give Ilyas’s family financial help. “We’ll also support the children in acquiring a better education and we plan to build houses for newly converted families in Surjani,” he said.

Ilyas Masih’s new name is Muhammad Ilyas and Rani is now Khadija. The children’s names were changed from Sonia to Alishba, Jesus to Muhammad Aslam, Maho to Hunbal, Badal to Muhammad Shahbaz, Dawood to Muhammad Dawood and Kaki to Ambreen.

While answering a question, Ilyas said that deciding to convert was not an easy decision and he was ready to face his peers and relatives. “I want to visit Raiwind as soon as possible and pray to Allah to give me strength.”

Although the KUF has been working for a long time it was registered around eight years ago. Its head office is at Jamia Masjid Quba-e-Ahle Hadith, in Sector 7-D of Surjani Town. There is also another branch in Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s Block-6.

According to Amjad, the organisation runs mosques and seminaries in Surjani Town, Mangho Pir and Gulshan-e-Tauheed. They provide monthly rations, house rent and other such services and financial assistance to needy families.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2012.