March 8, 2012 : Hindu women in Pakistan are being pressured into converting to Islam, says AsiaNews.it. The conversions are forced through “violence and coercion. [And] Looming in the background is the blasphemy law, seen by many as the most serious obstacle to social and cultural equality.”
Forced conversions of Hindu girls and women are nothing new, although they have been getting more attention lately due to the high profile abduction of Rinkle Kumari and the high profile of some of those involved in the crime. Rinkle, a 17-year-old Hindu girl, was violently attacked and kidnapped by a mob of Muslim men, “with the help of a member of the [local government] National Assembly,” reports the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). Local “Muslim fundamentalist groups” were also involved. “Following her abduction,” says the AHRC, “she was forced to embrace Islam.”
“Naveed Shah, a member of a famous criminal group of Hassam Kalwarh, along with more than dozen persons abducted Kumari from her house on 23 February,” says the AHRC. “They kidnapped her at gunpoint and took her to the resident of Mian Abdul Haq, alias Mian Mithhu, the member of the National Assembly from the ruling party, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party. She was then taken to a famous Madressa at Dargah Aalia Qadria Bharchoondi Sharif where she had forced to sign the marriage certificate (Nikkah Nama) and married with Naveed Shah, a street gangster. The Madressa is famous for converting Hindu girls in the province which claims that it has the target to convert 2000 Hindus every year to Islam.”
The AHRC also reports that after the kidnapping came to public attention the police intervened and took her to a local court, where she pleaded to be allowed to return to her parents. Mian Mittho then “slapped her repeatedly infront of the judge and threatened her” not to say anything positive about her family.
According to the AHRC Mittho also warned her that since she had been converted to Islam, she “could not go to her family back otherwise her family has to bear dire consequences.”
Source : https://www.peopleofshambhala.com
