Coerced religious conversion in Pakistan

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

In Pakistan, it is estimated that several hundred people belonging to the minority Hindu, Christian, and Sikh communities are kidnapped and forcefully converted or coerced through societal pressures to convert to Islam each year.^[1][2]

Causes

Some Islamic institutions and clerics have been alleged to be involved in coercing religious minorities to convert to Islam by threatening to harm or withhold economic opportunities to members or minority groups who refuse to convert.^[3][4][5][6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8]

Jürgen Schaflechner, a cultural anthropologist specializing on Hindus in Pakistan, states that conversions are rarely motivated by religious zeal, and are instead a consequence of the commodification of and denial of agency to women in a deeply patriarchal society. ^[9]

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 purportedly from the Taliban threatening them with violence if they do not convert to Islam, and that the police did not take the threats seriously.^[10] In 2015, Christians in Charsadda again received threatening letters asking them to convert; in response the local police say increased security at churches.^[11]

In April 2012, three Hindu sisters were allegedly threatened into converting to Islam.^[12][13][14] Their cases were appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where the appeal was admitted but has remained unheard^{[as of?]}.^[15]

Hindus may convert to Islam in order to acquire Watan Cards (a cash transfer programme by the Government of Pakistan to transfer money to flood affected people^[16]) and National Identification Cards. Some converts are also given land and money.^[17]

Consequences

A survey conducted by a Pakistani Hindu organization found that a majority of scheduled caste Pakistani Hindu families do not send their female children to schools due to the fear of forced conversion and kidnapping.^[18]

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.^[19] The Pakistan Hindu Council says that forced conversions are the primary reason for the declining Hindu population in Pakistan.^[4]

Legality

Dalit Sujag Tehreek protesting against forced conversion of Dalit Hindu girls

Pakistan lacks strong^[vague] laws prohibiting coerced conversions, which has drawn criticism for allowing coerced conversions to go largely unpunished.^[20]

In November 2016, a bill prohibiting forced conversion was passed by the Sindh Provisional Assembly, punishing perpetrators with a minimum of 5 years in jail, and a fine paid to the victim.^[21] The bill was opposed by religious parties for two reasons. First, the bill prohibited any religious conversion for a person under the age of 18;^[22] critics argued children should be able to voluntary convert giving the example of Ali,^[23] who converted at the age of 10. Second, the bill imposed a 21-day waiting period for voluntary adult conversion; the religious parties also opposed this.^[22] Thus, due to pressure from religious parties, the governor did not sign the bill into law.^[22] 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.^[24]

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".^[25]

The former Pakistani Prime minister Imran Khan has said that forced conversions are 'un-Islamic'^[26] and are against the commands of Allah.^[27]

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.^[28]

In January 2023, members of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed their alarm at the reported rise in kidnappings, coerced religious conversions and weddings of underaged girls from among religious minorities in Pakistan.^[29] They appealed the Government of Pakistan to stop the alleged abuse where people in their teens had been "kidnapped from their families, trafficked … far from their homes (and) made to marry men sometimes twice their age".^[30]

At an event organised against forced conversion, the Dutch politician and European Parliamentarian member Ajan Haga, said "The human rights abuses in Pakistan are deeply alarming and require urgent attention. We cannot stand idly by while the fundamental rights of minority women and girls are violated."^[31] Swedish politician and European Parliamentarian member Charlie Weimers said "It is imperative that we work collectively to end the injustice faced by minority communities. Our role in the European Parliament is to raise awareness and advocate for change."^[31]

In Culture

• The movie The Losing Side is based on the issue of forced religious conversion in the Sindh. In 2023, it bagged the award in the category of Best Human Rights Film at the Cannes World Film Festival.^[32]
• The 2023 documentary film, Hum Saya - Neighbor is on the issue of forced conversions and marriages of minority girls in Pakistan. It won the ‘Best Short Documentary on Human Rights award at the Venice Intercultural Film Festival 2023.^[33]
• The The Sindh Story is a Sindhi film on forced conversion of Hindu girls in Sindh.^[34]

See also

• Asia Bibi blasphemy case
• Freedom of religion in Pakistan
• Religion in Pakistan

References

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3. Javaid, Maham (18 August 2016). "State of fear". Herald (Pakistan). Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
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