‘Only those who are above the age of 21 should be allowed to change religion’

Activists say govt should take up such cases, not madaris and mosques.


Our Correspondent December 29, 2012
Activists say govt should take up such cases, not madaris and mosques. DESIGN: SUNARA NIZAMI

KARACHI:


To make sure that there is no coercion involved, converting to another religion should only be allowed for those above the age of 21 and the government should monitor such cases.


This was the consensus at a meeting of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on ‘Expert Group on Communities Vulnerable because of their Beliefs’ held on Saturday.

Stressing the need of legislation on forced conversions, an advocate from Lahore, Naeem Shakir, said that conversions taking place in the country should be recorded.

“Changing one’s religion is a huge decision. It should be only permitted for people above the age of 21.” He opined that the Sharia law should not be applicable to non-Muslims and that their issues should be dealt with according to their religious laws.

Shakir’s point was backed by HRCP’s secretary general, IA Rehman, who agreed that religious conversions should be monitored across the country. There are certain cases where people change their religion to benefit in some way, said Rehman, citing the example of “Pakistani Muslim women who marry Christian men willingly for a bright future.”

He recommended that the cases of religious conversions brought to court during 2011 and 2012 should be reviewed.

Calling for involvement of church leadership, Christian representative Zahid Farooq asked the leaders to play a stronger role. “Church leaders are influential and their networks are strong. They should be mobilised to find out how many people are changing religion and what the reasons are,” said Farooq.

IA Rehman,

Activist and professor, Sabir Michael, raised the point that the state should be the one to recognise religious conversions - not madaris. “Instead of madaris and mosques, it should be the government providing conversion certificates.”

HRCP Sindh vice-chairperson, Amarnath Motumal, admitted that the conversions of Rinkle Kumari and Dr Lata Kumari which created uproar earlier this year were genuine. “The two girls are living happily with their families.”

Motumal pointed out, however, that the response from courts in these cases is often discriminatory and the girls who change their religion are not given much time to ponder over their decision.

Hazara killings

Speaking on the alleged persecution of Shia Hazaras in Balochistan, Rehman said that the deteriorating situation has deeply affected students and those supporting their families.

“Students cannot go to schools and businesses have shut down. People are migrating to other countries not because of poverty but for safety,” said Rehman while highlighting points from HRCP’s report prepared on Hazara killings. “These attacks are purely sectarian as no Sunni Hazaras are being targeted.” The report quotes representatives of the Hazara community, documenting killings of 542 members from 1999 up to October 2012. According to the HRCP Balochistan vice-chairperson, Tahir Hussain Khan, the current situation can lead to the country’s breakup. “It is alarming that many areas of Balochistan are occupied by religious extremists.

Discussing recommendations put forward by the HRCP on Hazara Killings, Rehman said that the agencies representing minorities and those fighting for human rights should work together.

A judicial commission should be set up to investigate the killings and compensation should be provided to families.

A special cell in Baluchistan’s home department should be formed to look into all target killings.

Educational institutions, he said, should ensure that sectarian hatred doesn’t flare up among students.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2012. 

COMMENTS (17)

NAkhtar | 11 years ago | Reply

is this a political participation setting age for some one, 21? Conversion must be allowed but make sure it is not by force. However, a muslim cannot divert from Islam, let the people know about it spunishment too.

Jai | 11 years ago | Reply

By forcefully converting minorities Pakistan is only shooting itself in the foot. When you allow no other point of view to exist, you will never realize where you are going wrong. A uni-polar society will crush all dissent and will keep repeating the same follies over and over never emerging wiser from it. If you need some out of the box thinking and reform, it's not going to come from the boxed thinking.

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