Another Christian teenager in Pakistan was forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor.
According to Morning Star News, Shakaina Masih, a 13-year old Christian, was abducted in Lahore on Feb. 19. She was working as a domestic help with her mother, Samina, in the local town of Valencia. Upon learning that her daughter was missing, Samina reported to the police. But the authorities did not accommodate her request to file the First Information Report (FIR) for two days.
On Feb. 21, Samina and her husband, Johnson, were finally able to file the FIR. After a few days, the police told the couple that their daughter was already married to a Muslim guy named Ali Bashir, showing an Islamic marriage certificate. Shakaina was illegally married in Okara after her forced conversion to Islam by her kidnapper.
But the girl's father contended that Shakaina is just a teenager and thus, her marriage is illegal. He even showed them the girl's birth certificate but the authorities did not act upon it. They also ignored his request to see his daughter and was told to take the matter to court if he wants to see her.
The lawyer for the family, Rana Abdul Hameed, petitioned the Lahore High Court to recover Shakaina from her kidnapper, citing Pakistan's law on statutory rape and illegal marriage.
"It is great injustice for the poor family. Their daughter is missing for the last so many days but there's no information yet about her safety and well-being," Hameed said.
The lawyer revealed that the cases of forced conversion of minority children are rising in the country due to the connivance of judicial officials and police authorities.
"Laws barring underage marriage are in place, but police do not apply them in the cases. Moreover, sections related to rape and abduction are also ignored, which enables the perpetrators to obtain bail and walk free from the case. This prejudicial attitude is putting the security of all minority girls at risk and needs to end immediately," he added.
Shakaina's father said that he will not stop until he gets his daughter back.
"My family's shattered, and each passing day adds to our misery. Is there no law or justice for poor Christians like us?" he stated sadly.
Incidents of forced marriage, such as of Shakaina's, are notably increasing in Pakistan. Open Doors said that the country has the worst case in the world, with approximately 1,000 Christians forcibly married to Muslim men, based on the record from November 2019 to October 2020. The country also ranks fourth with most abduction cases.
On Feb. 16, the Stymie Forced Religious Conversion Bill was forwarded to the Senate. The legislation recommends that the change in religion shall be limited to adults, after an appearance before a senior district judge.
Asiya Nasir, a Christian activist and former lawmaker, said that the Islamic forces in the government have been opposing legislation on minority protection.
"Last month the Senate's Committee on Religious Affairs rejected a bill seeking protection for minorities against religiously motivated violence, including forced conversions and misuse of the blasphemy law. Such draft legislation has previously also been opposed, which has emboldened perpetrators of this heinous crime, and we are now witnessing a record increase in cases," Nasir said.
She added that it takes time before minority families can recover their children from abductors.
"It's time that the political parties realize the consequences of this crucial human rights violation and do something worthwhile to end the sexual exploitation of the minority girls in the name of religion," the activist further stated.
The World Watch List ranks Pakistan as fifth country in the world where Christians are most challenged.
