A victim of forced conversion and marriage recalls her horrific tale. PHOTO: FILE
“I am a Christian and I will always remain one,” silently vowed M* as the man holding a gun forced her to sign on a paper that declared her a Muslim.
Months later, the 24-year-old escaped from the armed man, who had forcibly abducted her, converted her to his faith and married her. And yet, she was wrong to believe that her troubles were finally over.
For victims of forced conversions and marriages, the problems hardly ever go away, even if they are lucky enough to return to their previous lives.
Song of sorrow
Clad in a black burqa, M glances around nervously as she recalls the tale of her abduction, forced conversion and wedding last year. A stranger, Yasin*, saw her at a bus stop in Clifton when she was going home from the dental clinic she worked at. For days, he stalked and harassed her and finally proposed to her. She refused and insulted him.
Then, in October, an armed Yasin, along with his two friends, allegedly kidnapped her near Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine. Within hours, she became a Muslim and Yasin’s wife.
“He married me but he never respected me,” says M, breaking down into tears. “He would insult my religion all the time. He would even let his friends abuse me.”
A missing person complaint was lodged at the Clifton police station by M’s family on October 26, 2012, but the police hardly pursued the case.
Meanwhile, M passed her days locked up in a single room, regularly beaten up and forced to do household chores for her in-laws, who also lived with her. “They would keep on saying that I should be grateful to them because they had converted me,” she says quietly.
A past life up in flames
Two months ago, M managed to escape after finding the key hidden by her husband, who was asleep at that time.
However, upon return, M has found that the life she left behind is no longer waiting for her. Her father wants her to go back to her Muslim husband and silently bear the torture.
“I cannot risk the lives of my other four daughters,” he says sadly. “I know she was forced to change her religion but people can hurt us and say that since she has become a Muslim, she can’t follow Christianity.”
M’s existence is stifled, to say the least. She cannot openly declare that she did not accept Islam by heart, nor can she go to a church and kneel down. She is currently in hiding, as she fears her husband may still be looking for her.
Noel Alfonse of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, to whom a priest referred the case, says that it is the third incident of Christian conversion that they have received since the beginning of the year. “Families such as M’s are not willing to pursue cases when their daughters are forcefully converted and married,” explains Noel. “They fear backlash from the perpetrators.”
Noel has been investigating the case, and the whereabouts of the perpetrator. The Express Tribune has, so far, been unable to trace Yasin.
No compulsion in religion
Mufti Naeem, a Muslim scholar of Jamia Binoria, says that Islam does not allow forced conversions, and M was very much a Christian even today.
“There is no compulsion in Islam. No one can be forced to become a Muslim. This is against religion’s laws,” states the mufti categorically. “Also, marriages cannot be forced.”
Reverend Shahid Sabir of the Holy Trinity Church concurs with Mufti Naeem.
“Religion and faith is a personal decision. And that decision cannot be forced,” says the reverend, adding that M will have to publicly take her Christian vows again.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2013.
COMMENTS (8)
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All of Pakistan must congratulate itself with what they have done to oppressed minorities of their country. Multiple cases of rape, forced conversions and marriages have been reported but nota single conscience in the land of pure has stirred. My hearty congratulations to Rabia Ali and a few other journalists of her ilk, for bringing this dehumanizing story to light. Just rewards from Allah is on the way.
@fahad: "Forced marriages are not allowed either which is why the girl is asked thrice if she is willing and even after that they (women) have the right to khulla if she finds that she cannot have a life with that man."
You say the girl is asked three times. This is what I have said also in my comment, just below your's . The girl is kidnaped and asked to say that she agrees when others are holding a gun to her head. The Chief Justice did not allow the Rinkle to meet with her parents also and confined her to an islamic institution where she was coerced and threatened that her entire hindu family will be victimized.
You also say that the muslim girl has right to khulla. I watched one tv debate. Oria Maqbool Jan said to Dr. Farzana Bari that in Islam a woman has a right to divorce if (1) it is part of the Nikha or Marriage agreement and (2) This is a 'DELEGATED RIGHT" given to the woman and the husband can take it away at any time if he so wishes even if it is part of on nikha or marriage agreement. Yes, "Delegated Right' that can be taken away from her at any time by her husband is what Oria Maqbool Jan who all TV anchors call an "Intellectual" said.
When did we last hear of Rinkle, Asha and Latha. Nothing was heard of them since their conversion and marriage. Where are they and how are they now. Can Bilawal Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan say anything on this or demand a probe in their cases, at the minimum? THE HINDU GIRLS WERE FACING THESE ATROCITIES FOR A LONG TIME. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE CHRISTIAN GIRLS WERE ALSO FACING THESE ATROCITIES FOR A LONG TIME. ONLY THAT IT IS COMING TO LIGHT NOW. IN THE CURRENT ERA OF INTERNET, CELL PHONE CAMERAS, SOCIAL NETWORKING, BLOGS, ETC. NOTHING CAN REMAIN HIDDEN. IT WAS POSSIBLE EARLIER WHEN WE HAD PRINT MEDIDUM ONLY AND THE AUTHORS CAN CHOSE TO HIDE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO HIDE.
Christian girls are also facing the same rape and victimization from muslims of Pakistan. You won't see this today in other muslim countries, even in Bangladesh which was part of Pakistan for nearly 25 years. As @E.Emad says in his comments above it happened there when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. I am not going to say anything new. Just shall quote from this article and explain it in parenthesis and post short videos and excerpts from reports.
Here we go:
"Then, in October, an armed Yasin, along with his two friends, allegedly kidnapped her near Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine. Within hours, she became a Muslim and Yasin’s wife." (nothing unknown here. It happens every day. Has been happening for the past 65 years.)
"Meanwhile, M passed her days locked up in a single room, **regularly beaten up and forced to do household chores for her in-laws, who also lived with her. They would keep on saying that I should be grateful to them because they had converted me,” she says quietly. (Muslim woman help their men rape other woman and also say they the rape victims should be grateful to them. Everything happens within the homes of the good muslim families.)
Then what happens to these girls. Watch Najam Sethi in this 5 minute video. Watch what he says on the courts and what the muslims do to the girls they kidnap and convert).
Link to video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMximehG3Pw
What the Courts do and the conduct of Chief Justice of Pakistan is spelt out in the Report of Asian Human Rights Commission - July 2013. This is what they say:
"The Muslim abductors have also begun using new modus operandi. In one case, a Muslim man first became the 'brother' of a Hindu girl, and also observed the Rakhi Bandhan, a custom cementing the bond between brothers and sisters. Later, the same 'brother' abducted his 'sister'. After the abduction, he married her."
"two Hindu sisters belonging to a low Hindu caste were abducted on 7 July 2013 by armed men from their village Kohli Vairi, located in Nangar Parka Taluka, Tharparkar District, Sindh. The girls, Ms. Tarki aged 16 years and Ms. Beena aged 14, daughters of Vanoon Kohli, were abducted by Hanif Nohri, Inayat Nohri, Majnoon Nohri , Jamal Nohri and Ismail Khoso, residents of Bado and Jud'dan villages located in the same taluka and district. They forcibly entered the house of the Kohli family in the night at 8 p.m. Mrs. Savarian Kohli, mother to the girls, was taking dinner with her children when the armed men entered her house. The abductors are alleged to be henchmen of the former chief minister of Sindh who has now joined the ruling party, the PML-N.
Jamna Kumari, a 12 year old girl, was abducted by influential persons from village Arbab Rind, located near Bhit Shah, Hyderabad. According to the father of the girl Altaf Rind, Pathan Rind, Wazir Rind along with their companions entered his house, looted cash, gold, and other value able things. After looting, the men dragged out and took away his daughter Kumari. He filed a First Investigation Report (FIR) against the criminals. The Bhit Shah police arrested the men. But after taking bribes, the police released the them. The abductor goons are said to be from a religious seminary. The whereabouts of Jamna is still unknown. Her Hindu family fears that the girl will be sold to the Taliban in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkha, after her forced conversion to Islam.
"This thinking was evident in the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Rinkle Kumari and Dr. Lata. The Court decided in favour of perpetrators hailing from a notorious seminary that abducted and converted Rinkle Kumari to Islam. The Chief Justice himself met the abductor of Rinkle Kumar during Friday prayers and congratulated him for converting a Hindu girl to Islam."
"Because of the vulnerability of Hindu girls and the attitude of the Courts, the government, and the police, Hindu families have started migrating to India. Hindu families are worried about their girls, and they try to keep them inside the house. But Muslim bigots have begun attacking their homes and kidnapping the young girls from inside their houses. Hindu boys appear to be of no interest to the Muslim fundamentalists.
Every society, followers of any religion have a section of criminals and perverts in them. However, we see these types making up most of the muslims of Pakistan. I read over 5000 comments from readers when the case of Rinkle was published on several days in ET. Every Pakistani muslim justified & praised the conversion of Rinkle and claimed it was her free-will. Not even one condemnation. EVEN TODAY NO ONE WANTS TO PROBE. NOT ONE TV ANCHOR, POLITICIAN OR ANY READER COMMENTING IN PAPERS LIKE ET HAS EVER SAID THIS. NOR WILL THEY EVER SAY THIS.
The question now to Pakistani Muslims is: When are you going to demand a probe of such instances that happened in the past, say over the last 10 - 20 years? Don't you not have all details of past and present of these girls in NADRA records. Why this conspicuous silence from all muslims of Pakistan, their political parties and their judiciary?
Islam does not allow forced conversion especially to one who is a follower of any one of the 4 books. Forced marriages are not allowed either which is why the girl is asked thrice if she is willing and even after that they (women) have the right to khulla if she finds that she cannot have a life with that man. The only reason that all these things are neglected is because of our ignorant society and people who only chose to follow Islam and its teachings where they find it convenient.
Pakistan the land of filth ..
Thousands of such (mostly Hindu to Muslim) force convertion happened in 1971 in Pakistan Army occupied East Pakistan (Bangladesh). I personally know a dozon incidents. Sadly, none of the criminals were punished in Pakistan after 1971.
the mufit is a deceiver! He quotes a partial verse only about compulsion. ask him to read the Full verse and the verse that follows. SHAME ON HIS LIES.