We condemn abduction and forced conversion of Rinkle Kumari
Rinkle Kumari was abducted, forcefully converted and married by Naveed Shah.
We at LUBP have always condemned all sorts of religious persecution and violence against Pakistan’s oppressed groups in the strongest possible terms. Meanwhile, the religious persecution of “the infidels” (read non-Muslims) by the fanatic mindset continues. It is not uncommon in Islamic Republic of Pakistan that minor girls and even married women from non-Muslim communities are kidnapped and then converted to Islam.
There is a huge number of cases of abduction and forced into a Muslim marriage. Incidents of kidnapping, forced marriages and conversions of religious minorities have increased; the girls belonging to minority religion are forcefully converted to Islam and married to Muslim men. The increase in the number of reports of Hindu girls being kidnapped or made to convert to Islam has sparked concern from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
During the last 64 years the situation of religious minorities in Pakistan like the general conditions in various fields has remained a matter of serious concern and the Islamic state has not taken steps which could improve the status of minorities and protect their beliefs and life.
In February 2012 in a similar incident, Rinkle Kumari was abducted in Mirpur Mathelo, a small town in Sindh.
The relatives of the Rinkle alleged that a Member of the National Assembly, Abdul Haq alias Mian Mitthu, was backing the kidnappers and had pressurised the local magistrate to get a decision in their favour, ignoring the written testimony of the kidnapped girl. They also said they had taken refuge in a gurdwara in Lahore after receiving threats from the kidnappers and influential Muslims of the area.
The girl’s father, Nand Lal, is a teacher at the Government Primary School at Yorlund in Ghotki district. He told the Daily Times that Mian Aslam, the son of the local Parliamentarian, and his friend Naveed Shah kidnapped his daughter from his house last Friday.
Rinkle had passed the matriculation examination and arrangements had been made for her marriage, he said.
Initially, the police station in Mirpur Mathelo refused to register a case against the kidnappers though an FIR was lodged following a protest by Rinkle’s relatives.
Rinkle and one of the alleged kidnappers, Naveed Shah, were produced later before Magistrate Hassan Ali Kalwar.
Rinkle denied that she wanted to convert to Islam and said she wanted to live with her parents but the judge sent her to a women’s home and Shah was handed over to police on a one-day remand, Nand Lal said.
Mirpur Mathelo police, which is under “influence” of the Parliamentarian, presented Rinkle before a magistrate on Monday, Nand Lal said.
“The magistrate immediately handed over the girl to Haq’s men, without asking the parents to appear before the court,” he added.
He said a large number of armed men were standing outside the court to bar Rinkle’s family from entering the room.
Giving details about the night when Kumari was “abducted”, her uncle, Daya Ram, said in the early hours of February 24 this year, Kumari was supposed to meet Naveed Shah, believing that he would be alone. But Shah was not alone and accompanied by armed men, who abducted her and took her to Bharchundi Sharif, where she was forcefully converted to Islam.
“She did not leave home out of free will. If she had, why was one of her shoes at the home’s entrance and her dupatta outside? She was kidnapped by armed men, who barged into the home,” Ram told Pakistan Today.
He further said on the morning of February 24, he reached the Mirpur Mathelo police station and had an FIR registered against Naveed Shah.
On the same day at 1 pm, Kumari’s family received a phone call from MNA Haq’s son Mian Aslam Shah, who told them that if they wish to meet the girl, they should come to his residence.
However, Ram claimed, the family told him that they do not wish to meet her at his residence and would instead want her brought to the DSP’s office or the Hindu Panchayat Hall, where she can talk with them freely. However, both these options were rejected.
On Sunday, President Asif Ali Zardari directed authorities to investigate the kidnapping and sought a report from the Sindh government.
Mr.President called for “transparent and expeditious investigations” in the matter and for action in accordance with the law, regardless of the influence and status of anyone involved in the abduction.
The mainstream media highlighted Waheeda Shah Bukhari’s case too much and the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has taken suo moto notice of that incident but ignored Rinkle Kumari’s abduction, forced conversion and marriage, so no remedy available for non-Muslims . We at LUBP also point out media’s bias in ignoring minorities issues.
Mr. Kapil Dev rightly pointed out in his article that:
“The honorable chief justice often quotes in hearings, that corruption cases have brought a bad name to the country, but did the CJ even notice that forcible conversion and persecution of minorities also contribute to the country declining image.”
The following is the full text of opinion piece, “Rinkle Kumari was Hindu last month” -by Kapil Dev.
For many years, I was convinced that Sindh is the most liberal and secular province. I thought that minorities were more secure here because of the history deeply rooted mysticism. But that was until I became familar with teenager Rinkle Kumari’s tragic tale. One, amongt many, whose story needed to be told.
While most of us know Maya Khan and Veena Malik how many of us know Rinkle Kumari of District Ghotki, Sindh? She was picked up from her home and then forced to convert to Islam just a few days ago? How many of us are even aware of these incidents taking place?
Nand Lal, the father of the teenager, who is a teacher at the Government Primary School Yarlund, Ghotki, along with his family members has taken shelter at Gurdwara, Lahore as he received threats from the local influential people.
While according to some reports Rinkle coverted to Islam of her own free will (now Faryal) Rinkle’s family says, that a local leader is supporting the kidnappers and had pressurized the local magistrate to conclude with a decision in their favour, ignoring the plea in the written testimony of the kidnapped girl.
For many, it may be good news as a Hindu girl has ‘embraced’ Islam and has become an addition to the Ummah. Some may also believe that by getting her convert to Islam, one of them might get a berth booked in the Heaven as well, as it is generally perceived or believed.
Rinkle is not the only girl who has been a victim of such inhumane and unlawful treatment. There are 20 to 25 cases every month and around 300 cases per year. These young Hindu girls are abducted by influential people and converted to Islam against their will. Most of them take shelter in madrassas to avoid the backlash from society. In fact this is one of the main reasons that Hindus, particularly from upper Sindh, are migrating to India in bulk every year is because they are unable to bear the brunt and subsequent embarrassment in the society when their abducted daughters return as converts to Islam.
Except a certain section of media, these issues are hardly highlighted in mainstream media, the reason being the right-wing news policy of most of the media houses and growing commercialization.
Supreme Court Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (who took suo moto notice on the confiscation of two bottles of alcohol from actress Atiqa Odho) seems to have no time to have take suo moto notice or even notice of the forcible conversion of young Hindu girls. The honorable chief justice often quotes in hearings, that corruption cases have brought a bad name to the country, but did the CJ even notice that forcible conversion and persecution of minorities also contribute to the country declining image.
Moreover, over two dozen legislators belonging to religious minority have not been able to make their voices heard regarding a remedy for the grievances of their community. The reason for their voices have reached deaf ears and continue to be ineffective can be found in a quote by a Hindu parliamentarian who stated, “We are selected members, not elected.”
Though, I am an ardent supporter of democracy and democratic values, minorities in Pakistan were more secure during dictator, Pervez Mushrraf’s term, than in this government in which Punjab Governor, Salman Taseer and Federal Minister for minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, were killed.
In recent incidents like Rinkle Kumari and the case of three Hindus being murdered in broad daylight in Chak, Shikarpur, a few months back, the Sindhi nationalists have supported the Hindu community. In comparison, the members of the ruling PPP and other parties, only make hollow speeches. Those who have read the Constitution refer to Article 20, 25 and 39 in an effort to purport to their fellow parliamentarians that the minorities were enjoying equal rights, as stated in the constitution. But an issue that concerns the minority community most is that of forcible conversion of their youth and abduction for which there is no law.
So if there is no law addressing this issue is it okay for the issue to be overlooked?
Is there anybody drafting a law that will guarantee protection and freedom of religious belief?
The answer, unfortunately, is simply a ‘no’.
I am a Hindu writer and cannot help but wonder if my words have any weight at all and if so then, would they be effective enough to initiate any substantial change? I hope so, but I believe not. There is a dire need to speak up by the so-called liberal and secular elite. Forget about Maya, Meera and Veena. Wake up and hear the unheard calls for help. Someone please speak up about Rinkle Kumari.
She is the one in need of attention.
Hindus in Pakistan have demanded immediate action against forced conversions of Hindu girls in Pakistan. The leaders of the Pakistan Hindu Council appealed to the Pakistan government at a press conference.
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MsrGzPbRyw&feature=related
The executive council of Sindhi Association of North America Canada Chapter is of the view that it is well planned act of aggression and intimidation against peace loving Hindus of Sindh to scare them and make them feel un-secure in their own motherland and force them to leave the land of their birth by the religious extremist groups.
MIRPUR HINDU GIRL KIDNAPPED- PRESS CONFERENCE
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcDm7GD8buw
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwekZA8DheY
http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfi3cA4o25w
These religious extremist groups should be hanged at any square of Mirpur Mathelo city…
The faithul muslims will really condemn this action.
Why is this happening in PPP government? Did not used to happen in Musharaf era that much.
ASIA/PAKISTAN – Women of religious minorities “doubly discriminated”
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – The women belonging to minority religious communities are “doubly discriminated and marginalized”. They are widely abused and harassed, often forced to conversions, and their education level is much lower than the rate of female literacy, at a national level: this is according to a Report presented today on the occasion of “Women’s Day”, by the “Justice and Peace Commission” of the Catholic Episcopal Conference of Pakistan and sent to Fides. The Report, titled “Life on the edge”, is based on interviews to more than 1,000 Hindu and Christian women, carried out in 8 districts in Punjab and 18 districts in Sindh, where 95% of religious minorities in Pakistan live.
As reported to Fides by Peter Jacob, Executive Secretary of the Commission, “legal disparities, prejudices, forced conversions and the lack of political attention have emerged”, requiring “urgent need to go over laws that touch the sphere of religion and gender equality “.
According to the Report, 43% of women belonging to minorities have suffered religious discrimination at work, in educational and social institutions. 76% of them also suffered sexual harassment at work, which is often a menial job and low income, such as domestic work in homes of rich merchants.
Among the other significant figures contained in the Report, the literacy rate among women belonging to minority groups is 47%, well below the national average of 57%: this figure has a clear impact on their social and economic conditions of life, that relegate them on the fringes of society. A worrying phenomenon is that of forced conversions (there are about 1,000 cases officially reported every year) is the reflection of a cultural bias, whereby women’s autonomy is limited or denied which significantly affect their independence, self-esteem , freedom of choice.
The condition of subordination, poverty and marginalization of women is also reflected on Christian and Hindu children. The Report notes, in fact, a higher rate of infant mortality among minorities, compared to the national average of 314 infant deaths out of 3,050 births per year, with a mortality rate of 10.3%, compared to the national mortality rate that is 8,7%. Moreover, “most of the minority children are forced to attend Islamic studies due to lack of suitable alternatives”, notes the text, touching an issue, that of education, which remains crucial to improving the lives of religious minorities.
The Commission, on 8 March, “Women’s Day”, claims the support of the whole civil society and asks the government to intervene with legislative measures to establish gender equality, equal opportunities and rights for minorities, to gap a social, economic and cultural division caused by religious discrimination. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/03/2012)
Why only Hindu Girls are converted into Islam every time, why not any Hindu Boy are converting into Islam and then married to any Muslim Girl, the reason is only they need girls for………….
Where are PPP walas? Where is outrage by sharmeela on this?
This is low level ethnic cleansing.
اکثریت اور طاقت کا نادر نمونہ —
امید ہے لنک لگانے والے اس پر بھی وکی کا ایک لنک لگا کر ینو کی ہوشربا روداد بالتفصیل بیان کرنے کی زحمت کریں گے—-
کیا یہ اکثریت اور طاقت ویسی ہی نہیں جو مطبخ خانے کے روزمرہ کے امور کی فلسفانہ سوچ کی عکاس ہے؟؟ کسی اور مثال کی ضرورت ہی نہیں مگر ان کا کیا کیا جائے جو گھوڑے اور آدمی کی مثال میں معاشرتی طاقت اور اکثریت کے اصول تلاش کرتے پھر رہے ہیں—-
تعجب ہے ان کی دقیانوسی سوچ اور مرتبے کے زعم پر——
What is the state of family and children where the mother was abducted and coerced into marriage and conversion? How many generations does it take for the trauma to abate? And then you wonder why Muslims at relatively backwards in the subcontinent!
’محض اتفاق ہے تو عجیب و غریب ہے‘
حسن مجتبیٰ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، نیویارک
آخری وقت اشاعت: بدھ 7 مارچ 2012 , 20:04 GMT 01:04 PST
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رنکل کماری نے مبیبنہ طور پر مذہب تبدیل کیا اور شادی کی
اگر گذشتہ دو دہائيوں کے دوران شمالی سندھ میں ہندو لڑکیوں کے مذہب تبدیل کرنے کی کہانیاں اٹھا کر دیکھیں تو آپ کو ساری کہانیاں ایک دکھائی دیں گی۔
وہی ہزاروں کے ہجوم، تکبیر کے نعرے، کلاشنکوف اور جدید خود کارہتھیاروں کی فائرنگ، بھرچونڈی کے پیر کے ہاتھ میں ڈنڈا اور مذہب تبدیل کرنے کی تقریب کا وقوع پذیر ہونا۔
اسی بارے میں
رنکل کماری کو عدالت میں پیش کرنے کا حکم
’جبری شادی‘ پر ہندو کمیونٹی کی تشویش
بلوچستان: ہندو ڈاکٹر سمیت تین اغوا
متعلقہ عنوانات
پاکستان
بھرچونڈی، مٹیاری اور امروٹ درگاہیں، رضاکارانہ یا جبری سے قطع نظر، تاریخی طور پر تبدیلیِ مذہب کے بڑے مرکز رہے ہیں۔ جب کہ آج بھی بھرچونڈی، امروٹ، لاڑکانہ، جیکب آباد اور کراچي اور تھرپارکر میں سامارو، سندھ میں ایسے مذہب تبدیل کرنے کے ایسے مراکز بتائے جاتے ہیں، جہاں ہر ماہ متعدد ہندو لڑکیوں کے مبینہ طور پر جبراً مذہب تبدیل کرنے کے واقعات ہوتے ہیں۔
اگر آپ گھوٹکی ضلع سندھ میں رہتے ہیں، اگر آپ کو زمین یا پلاٹ پر سے قبضہ چھڑوانا ہے، قبضہ کروانا ہے، اگر کسی نے کسی ہندو لڑکے یا لڑکی کا ‘مذہب تبدیل’ کروانا ہے تو آّپ بھرچونڈی کے پیروں سے رابطہ کر سکتے ہیں۔ یہ جو کراچي میں تو‘نو گو ایریاز’ اب بنے ہیں، شمالی سندھ میں بھرچونڈی تب سے ‘نو گو ایریا’ ہے، جب یہ لفظ میڈیائي استعمال میں اتنا نہیں آیا تھا جتنا اب ہے۔ بھرچونڈی عام شہریوں یا پولیس انتظامیہ کے لیے ‘علاقہ غیر’ ہے۔
اسی بھرچونڈی کے ایک پیر عبد الحق عرف میاں مٹھو پی پی پی کے ایم این اے منتخب ہوتے آئے ہیں، میاں مٹھو جو گذشتہ دو دہائیوں سے اپنے بیٹوں سمیت ہندو لڑکیوں کا مذہب تبدیل کرانے کے بانی رہے ہیں۔ رنکل کماری کے اغوا اور پھر مذہب تبدیل کرنے اُس واقعے کی مبینہ سرپرستی میں بھی انہی کا نام لیا جاتا ہے، جس کی وڈیوز اب وبائی جرثوموں کی طرح انٹرنیٹ اور سوشل میڈیا پر پھیلی ہوئي ہیں۔
انہی وڈیوز میں، ہجوم اور علاقے کے طاقتور پیروں کے نرغے میں گھری رنکل کماری کو اس کے حال پر چھوڑ کر پولیس کے ایک افسر کو بھاگتے ہوئے بھی دیکھا جا سکتا ہے۔
گذشتہ پچیس فروری کو میرپور ماتھیلو کے صوفی محلے میں ایک نوجوان ہندو لڑکی رنکل کماری اس وقت اپنے گھر سے غائب ہوگئی جب اس کے گھر والے گھر سے کہیں باہر گئے ہوئے تھے۔
مجھے انیس سالہ رنکل کماری کے ماموں ڈاکٹر پون کمار نے ٹیلیفون پر میرپور ماتھیلو سے بتایا کہ اس حد تک تو صحیح ہے کہ جب وہ ساری رات گھر نہیں آئي تو ہم نے سمجھ لیا کہ اس نے گھر سے بھاگ کر اپنی مرضی سے جا کر شادی کرلی ہے لیکن ہم نے سوچا کم از کم اسے اپنے والدین سے تو ملایا جائے گا اور اس کے والدین یہ جاننا چاہیں گے۔
رنکل کماری جو اب مبینہ طور پر فریال بن چکی ہے۔
دوسرے روز اسے گھوٹکی سیشن کورٹ میں پیش کیا گیا جہاں کمرۂ عدالت میں وکلا اور عدالتی عملے کی موجودگی میں، رنکل کماری نے کہا کہ نوید شاہ اسے ورغلا کر، زبردستی اور دھوکے سے میاں مٹھو کے ہاں لایا ہے اور وہ اپنے والدین کے ساتھ جانا چاہتی ہے لیکن جج نے لڑکی کا یہ بیان ریکارڈ نہیں کیا۔
دو دن بعد ہزاروں لوگوں کے ہجوم کے ساتھ، جن میں بہت سے مسلح بھی تھے، رنکل کماری پھر عدالت میں پیش کی گئی، جہاں اس کے وکیل اور کیس کے فریادی کے کسی کو بھی اس سے نہیں ملنے دیا گیا۔
تاریخ میں پہلی بار، دفعہ ایک سو چونسٹھ کا بیان کمرہ عدالت کے اندر سینکڑوں افراد اور باہر ہتھیاربند جتھوں اور نعرہ زن ہجوم کی موجودگی میں ریکارڈ کیا گیا۔
رنکل کماری کے والدین اور ہندو پنچایت کے وکیل محمد مراد لونڈ تھے جنہیں ان کے ساتھی وکلا نے طعنے دیے کہ وہ کیوں ‘کافروں’ کے وکیل بنے ہوئے ہیں۔
کافروں کا وکیل
“رنکل کماری کے والدین اور ہندو پنچایت کے وکیل محمد مراد لونڈ تھے جنہیں ان کے ساتھی وکلا نے طعنے دیے کہ وہ کیوں ‘کافروں’ کے وکیل بنے ہوئے ہیں”
‘دلہے’ کا سلمان تاثیر کے قاتل کی ممتاز قادری کی طرح استقبال کیا گیا۔ جج کو کمرہ عدالت میں موجود ساٹھ ستر وکلا اور ہجوم نے مبارک باد دی۔ ایک وکیل نے جج سے کہا ‘آپ کا بڑا امتحان تھا آپ اچھے نمبروں سے پاس ہوگئے’۔
ہجوم اور وکلا پی پی پی ایم این اے میاں مٹھو کی قیادت میں کاروں جیپوں کے قافلے، کلاشنکوف کی کئي سو راؤنڈز اور نعرۂ تکبیر کے ساتھ روانہ ہوا۔ اب رنکل کماری کا نیا نام ‘فریال شاہ’ ہے۔
تقسیم کے فسادات کے دوران بھی سندھ سے ہندو برادری نے ہندوستان کے لیے اتنی تعداد میں نقل مکانی نہیں کی تھی جتنی اپنی لڑکیوں کے مذہب تبدیل کرنے کی وجہ سے کی ہے یا کر رہے ہیں۔
وہ کہتے ہیں کہ پاکستانی میڈیا ان کے موقف کو شایع، نشر یا بیان نہیں کرتا۔ ایک ان کہی اور غیر مصدقہ کہانی تو یہ بھی ہے کہ گذشتہ چند برسوں کے دوران سندھ میں ایک سو کے قریب نوجوان ہندو لڑکیوں نے جبراً تبدیلیِ مذہب اور اپنے اور والدین کے دہشت زدہ کیے جانے سے دل برداشتہ ہوکر خود کشیاں کی ہیں
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2012/03/120306_hindu_sindh_sen.shtml
There was no any article that gives info since how long Rinkle Kumari and Naveed Shah were in love before the conversion !!!
Brothr sohail Assalaam o Alaikum, your observation is totaly wrong, i am a male and i embraced Islam befor 13 years ago without any pressure or influence but just because of realising the facts about Islam as a true and Versatile Religion of whole the world and now a days u will also find so many converted people from hinduism as well as so many other religions in india befor the debating conferences of a Muslim Scholar Dr. Zakir Naik. My +ve suggestion to u is that u must watch PEACE TV daily.
Luckily with the grace of ALLAH, i embraced Islam in 1999 and till today i am living a happy life by following the traditions and orders of Islam. I am feeling proud to be a Muslim. May some Muslims be wrong including me but It is a real fact that Islam is the Religion of PEACE and BROTHERHOOD.
@agha shahzeb ali:
Do you believe Zakir Maik’s these beliefs are in line with Islam being a Religion of PEACE and BROTHERHOOD? Watch below video.
Non-Muslims will not have equal Humanrights – Zakir Naik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jYUL7eBdHg
@agha shahzeb ali:
How about this one?
Death Penalty For Apostates (Zakir Naik)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRl5c-xPVA0
@ agha shahzeb ali
Here we are talking abduction of teen girls and their conversions. Conversion under duress is null and void.
PEACE TV, Dr. Zakir Naik good at twisting & misguiding and even stupid at some time!
Forced conversion of Hindus in Pakistan jolts US out of slumber
Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Mar 14, 2012, 06.04AM IST
There have been many reports of Hindu girls being abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslim men in Pakistan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Forced-conversion-of-Hindus-in-Pakistan-jolts-US-out-of-slumber/articleshow/12256632.cms
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s state-endorsed discrimination, and in some cases extermination, of its minorities has finally caught the eye of Washington lawmakers.
Coming on the heels of support in Congress for a Baloch homeland in the face of Islamabad’s depredations in the region, a US Congressman has zeroed in on the abduction and forced religious conversion of Hindus in the country highlighted by the case of Rinkel Kumari .
In a sharply-worded letter to Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari, Congressman Brad Sherman urged him to take action to ensure the return of Rinkel Kumari to her family, pursuant to reports that she had been abducted with the help of a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker.
In a case that has been widely reported in the liberal Pakistani media, Rinkel , who was abducted on February 24, was forced to marry one Naveed Shah and convert to Islam .
She was subsequently produced before a civil judge twice ,but she was reportedly coerced into claiming that she had converted on her own will, even as her family was denied access to her in kangaroo court proceedings that revealed in video clips to be led by a frenzied mob of zealots , including armed followers of the Pakistani lawmaker .
According to Pakistani civil liberties activists in Washington, Rinkel was allegedly threatened while in police custody that if she did not change her statement, she and her family would be killed.
“Rinkel’s case is just one case of abduction and forced religious conversion in Pakistan,” Sherman said in the letter to Zardari, citing the Asian Human Rights commission figure of 20-25 kidnappings and forced conversions of Hindu girls in Sindh every month.
The Rinkel Kumari case was brought to the attention of US lawmakers not by Hindu activists but by the Sindhi American Political Action Committee (SAPAC ), a lobby group that , like the Baloch groups , is increasingly asserting the secular and syncretic identity of Pakistan’s Sindhi community in the face of growing Islamization in the country .
Sapac activists are telling US lawmakers that state sponsored discrimination against minority groups in Pakistan is rampant and is causing Hindus to migrate out of Pakistan in droves.
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2012/03/forced-conversion-of-hindus-in-pakistan.html
Forcible conversions: US lawmaker writes to Pak president
A United States lawmaker has written to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, asking him to look into the matter of the “forcible conversion” of a Hindu girl and ensure her safe return to her family.
In a strongly-worded letter, dated March 12, Brad Sherman, a lawmaker from California urged Zardari to take steps to ensure that those responsible for such acts are held accountable.
“I urge you to take action to ensure the safe return of this girl to her family,” Sherman said in his letter to Zardari, referring to the case of a Hindu girl named Rinkel Kumari, who was allegedly abducted from her home in Mirpur Mathelo, in Sindh province of Pakistan.
Sherman said Rinkel’s family has alleged that she was abducted on February 24, forced to marry a Muslim man named Naveed Shah and convert to Islam.
“Rinkel was reportedly held in custody with the help of Mian Mohammad Aslam, the son of Pakistan People’s Party Member of National Assembly Mian Mitho in Bharchundi Shareef, where she was forced to marry a Muslim man and convert to Islam,” he said in the letter.
On February 25, Rinkel was brought before a civil judge, who ruled in favour of Naveed Shah and she was taken into custody for two days at Sukkur police station, the Congressman said.
“Rinkel was allegedly threatened with violence while in police custody to make her change her statement,” he claimed.
He said on February 27, Rinkel appeared in court again and this time her relatives were reportedly not allowed inside the court. During this second hearing, Rinkel was returned to Naveed Shah’s custody.
“Rinkel’s family is unaware of the whereabouts of their daughter,” Sherman said in his letter.
“Unfortunately, Rinkel Kumari’s case is just one case of abduction and forced religious conversion in Pakistan. According to the Asian Human Rights Commission, around 20-25 forced kidnappings and conversions of Hindu girls take place in Sindh every month. I urge you to take all necessary steps to bring an end to this practice and other harassment of Hindus in Pakistan,” Sherman said.
Rinkle has reportedly told a court that she voluntarily converted and married a Muslim man.
Sherman’s letter comes in the wake of the campaign by the Sindhi American Political Action Committee, a lobby group for the Sindhi community in the US.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/forcible-conversions-us-lawmaker-writes-to-pak-president/20120314.htm
Pakistan: Hindu girl tells Supreme Court she would rather die than convert to Islam
Seized by an influential Muslim, with the “political cover” of an elected official, 19 year old Rinkel Kumari launches a desperate appeal to the courts. “Justice is denied Hindus in Pakistan” and therefore asks to” kill me here “in the courtroom. The family, after reporting to police, forced to …
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Islamabad – “In Pakistan there is justice only for Muslims, justice is denied Hindus. Kill me here, now, in court. But do not send me back to the Darul-Aman [Koranic school] … kill me”. This is the desperate, heartbreaking outburst of Rinkel Kumari, a Hindu girl aged 19, who has entrusted her heartfelt appeal to the judges of the Supreme Court in Islamabad. Her story is similar to that of many other young women and girls belonging to religious minorities – Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Ahmadis – kidnapped by extremist groups or individuals, most of the time lords or local mafia, which convert them by force and then marry them . And that is what the girl said on 26 March, before the judges of the capital’s court.
The drama of Rinkel Kumari, a student of Mirpur Mathelo, a small village in the province of Sindh, began the evening of February 24: A handful of men seized her and delivered her a few hours later into the hands of a wealthy Muslim scholar, the man then called her parents, warning them that their daughter “wants to convert to Islam.”
Nand Lal, the girl’s father, a teacher of an elementary school, accused Naveed Shah, an influential Muslim, of kidnapping his daughter. The man has the “political cover” provided by Mian Mittho, an elected National Assembly Member, suspected of aiding and abetting. After identifying the perpetrators of the kidnapping of his daughter, he was forced to leave the area of origin to escape the threats of people affiliated with the local mafia. The father found refuge and welcome in Gurdwara in Lahore, in Punjab province, with the rest of his family.
As often happens in these cases, even the judiciary is complicit: a local judge ordered that the girl should be given to the Muslims, because her conversion is “the result of a spontaneous decision” and also stated the marriage was above board. A claim that was repeated on February 27, at the hearing before the court, after which the girl was “renamed” Faryal Shah.
However, the story of Rinkel is not an isolated case: every month between 25 and 30 young people suffer similar abuses, for a yearly total of about 300 conversions and forced marriages. Hindu girls – but also Christian – who are torn from their family and delivered into the hands of their husbands / torturers.
On March 26, she appeared before the judges of the Supreme Court in Islamabad, while the Hindu community waited with bated breath for the girl’s statements in court. To avoid pressure, the presiding judge ordered the courtroom cleared and – later – the dramatic testimony was relayed: in Pakistan, “there is no” justice, “kill me here but do not send me back” to the kidnappers.
Speaking to AsiaNews Fr. Anwar Patras, the Diocese of Rawalpindi, condemned “with force” the kidnapping and forced conversion. “The Hindus in Sindh – adds the priest – live a hard life. The reality is getting harder for them, they are forced to migrate because the state is unable to protect them and their property.
http://www.speroforum.com/a/MBUDRVVHOG5/70410-Pakistan—Hindu-girl-tells-Supreme-Court-she-would-rather-die-than-convert-to-Islam?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+speroforum%2Fnroq+%28Spero+News%29