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{{Short description|Human rights issue in Pakistan}}
{{Short description|Human rights issue in Pakistan}}
[[File:Protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls conducted by [[Pakistan Hindu Council]]]]
[[File:Protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls conducted by [[Pakistan Hindu Council]]]]
In [[Pakistan]], girls belonging to the minority [[Hinduism in Pakistan|Hindu]], [[Christianity in Pakistan|Christian]] and [[Sikhism in Pakistan|Sikh]] communities are kidnapped and forcefully converted to [[Islam]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Stories of forced conversion to Islam in Pakistan |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-29008267 |access-date=2021-10-27 |archive-date=2021-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027042707/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-29008267 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/article/11338314|title=Hindu sisters Reena and Raveena become face of forced religious conversion in Pakistan|newspaper=ABC news|author=Siobhan Heanue|date=26 July 2019|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref>
In [[Pakistan]], girls belonging to the minority [[Hinduism in Pakistan|Hindu]], [[Christianity in Pakistan|Christian]] and [[Sikhism in Pakistan|Sikh]] communities are kidnapped and forcefully converted to [[Islam]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Stories of forced conversion to Islam in Pakistan |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-29008267 |access-date=2021-10-27 |archive-date=2021-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027042707/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-29008267 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/article/11338314|title=Hindu sisters Reena and Raveena become face of forced religious conversion in Pakistan|newspaper=ABC news|author=Siobhan Heanue|date=26 July 2019|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> Jürgen Schaflechner, a cultural anthropologist specializing on Hindus in Pakistan, cautions that these conversions are rarely motivated by religious zeal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schaflechner |first=Jürgen |title='Forced conversions' of Hindu women to Islam in Pakistan: another perspective |url=http://theconversation.com/forced-conversions-of-hindu-women-to-islam-in-pakistan-another-perspective-102726 |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref>


==Causes==
==Causes==

Revision as of 13:32, 13 May 2023

Protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls conducted by Pakistan Hindu Council

In Pakistan, girls belonging to the minority Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities are kidnapped and forcefully converted to Islam.[1][2] Jürgen Schaflechner, a cultural anthropologist specializing on Hindus in Pakistan, cautions that these conversions are rarely motivated by religious zeal.[3]

Causes

Some coerced conversions are results of kidnappings or violent threats while others are due to the systemic discrimination that many Hindus face in their professional, public, and private lives, and conversion is seen by many as a way to avoid religious discrimination and violence.[4]

According to some child protection activists, the forced conversion of young girls is part of a moneymaking scheme involving corrupt public and religious figures who allow underaged girls to be converted to islam and married to older men in exchange for money.[5]

Notable incidents

In May 2007, Christian citizens of Charsadda (a city which is close to the border with Afghanistan) reported that they had received letters threatening violent attacks if they did not convert to Islam, and that the police were not taking the threats seriously.[6]

In April 2012 three Hindu sisters were allegedly threatened into converting to Islam.[7][8][9] their cases were appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where the appeal was admitted but has remained unheard.[10]

Many Hindus convert to Islam in order to acquire Watan Cards and National Identification Cards. These converts are also given land and money. [11]

In October 2020, the Pakistani High Court upheld the validity of a forced marriage between 44-year-old Ali Azhar and 13-year-old Christian Arzoo Raja. Raja was abducted by Azhar, forcibly wed to Azhar and then forcibly converted to Islam by Azhar.[12]

Consequences

A survey conducted by a Pakistani Hindu organization found that a majority of scheduled caste Pakistani Hindu families dont send their female children to schools due to the fear of and forced conversion and kidnapping.[13]

According to Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, around 5,000 Hindus migrate from Pakistan to India every year due to fear of forced conversions.[14] According to the Pakistan Hindu Council, forced conversions are the primary reason for the declining Hindu population in Pakistan.[15]

Legality

Dalit Sujag Tehreek protesting against forced conversion of Dalit Hindu girls

Pakistan does not have strong laws designed to prevent coerced religious conversion, which has drawn criticism for allowing coerced conversions to go largely unpunished. [16]

In November 2016, a bill prohibiting forced conversion was passed by the Sindh Provisional Assembly however, the Governor of Sindh faced pressure from muslim groups not to sign the bill, leading to it not becoming a law.[17] In 2020 a bill aimed at preventing coerced conversions was introduced in the Senate of Pakistan that could prevent forced conversions of minority girls, but it was turned down by the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. Krishna Kumari Kolhi, a Hindu Pakistan Peoples Party Senator, walked out of the Senate during the meeting as a form of protest.[18]

Response

Protest against forced conversion of Christian girls in Pakistan organised by NCJP

The Pakistani Nobel Laurette Malala Yousafzai spoke against forced conversions in Pakistan and said "It should be a personal choice and no one, especially a child shouldn’t be forced to accept any faith or convert to any other religion out of the will,"[19] The Pakistani Prime minister Imran Khan has said that forced conversions are 'un-Islamic'[20] and are against the commands of Allah.[21]

Candice Bergen, the Deputy Leader of Conservative Party of Canada, has commented that "The reports coming out of Pakistan of Christian and Hindu girls being abducted, raped, forced into marriages and coerced to convert from their faith are deeply concerning and need to be addressed". She also called for the re-establishment of Office of Religious Freedom in Canada to address the issue.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Stories of forced conversion to Islam in Pakistan". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  2. ^ Siobhan Heanue (26 July 2019). "Hindu sisters Reena and Raveena become face of forced religious conversion in Pakistan". ABC news. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  3. ^ Schaflechner, Jürgen. "'Forced conversions' of Hindu women to Islam in Pakistan: another perspective". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  4. ^ Abi-Habib, Maria; Ur-Rehman, Zia (4 August 2020). "Poor and Desperate, Pakistani Hindus Accept Islam to Get By". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  5. ^ KATHY GANNON (28 December 2020). "Each year, 1,000 Pakistani girls forcibly converted to Islam". abc news. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Taliban Tells Pakistani Christians: Convert or Die". Fox News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  7. ^ "Opinion: Rinkle Kumari – the new Marvi of Sindh by Marvi Sirmed". Thefridaytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  8. ^ "SC orders release of Rinkle Kumari, others". Pakistan Observer. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  9. ^ "Hindus in Pak happy after girl's statement in SC". Deccan Herald. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Curbs on forced conversion". The Express Tribune. 7 December 2016. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Mass conversions: For Matli's poor Hindus, 'lakshmi' lies in another religion". The Express Tribune. January 20, 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Pakistan high court upholds forced marriage of abducted Catholic minor". Catholic Herald. October 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  13. ^ Yudhvir Rana (4 June 2013). "Hindu parents don't send girl children to schools in Pakistan: Report". Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  14. ^ Haider, Irfan (13 May 2014). "5,000 Hindus migrating to India every year, NA told". Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  15. ^ Quratulain, Fatima (19 September 2017), "Forced conversions of Pakistani Hindu girls", Daily Times (Pakistan), archived from the original on 9 November 2020, retrieved 13 February 2021
  16. ^ "Pakistani court allows Hindu girls to decide their own fate". DW news. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2021.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ Ackerman, Reuben; Rehman, Javaid; Johns, Morris, Forced Conversions & Forced Marriages in Sindh, Pakistan (PDF), CIFORB, the University of Birmingham, archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2018, retrieved 13 February 2021
  18. ^ "Senate panel 'turns down' bill on minorities rights". The Tribune. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  19. ^ "I strongly condemn any incident where girls are forced to get married: Malala". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Forced conversions are 'un-Islamic', says Imran Khan". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Forced conversions are against the commands of Allah: Imran". SAMAA. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  22. ^ Zeenya Shah. "Attacks on minority women in Pakistan spark calls to reopen Office of Religious Freedoms closed by Liberals". National post. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
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