Daily Times

As the famous quote goes, “Majority is Authority”. This explains everything regarding forced marriages of the minorities. Forced Marriages can be defined as an act where one partner forces the other to marry without his/her consent. In this scenario, many people also use the so-called “religious card” to justify their brutal acts. But the problem is that in many developing countries the laws to stop these marriages do not exist and where they exist, these are almost impossible to implement. Politicians are afraid of losing their vote bank and support from the masses, police is afraid to lose their credibility and the masses are afraid of “fatwas” (especially in Pakistan). This issue cannot be solved easily since each one of us is involved in it.

Let’s talk about our homeland the “Islamic Republic of Pakistan” the land of Islam. A land which was formed so that rule of Allah can be implemented, A land which was formed so that every person can live freely according to his/her will irrespective of color, creed, or race, A land where minorities can live without any fear, A land where they can go freely in  Temples, Church, and Mandirs, A land where their women would feel safe,  A land where we follow our Prophet’s gestures towards Non-Muslims. Finally, A land which was supposed to be the “Riasat-e-Madina”. But, we have diverted from the path and we have used our majority to suppress our minority.

The trend of forced marriages has increased with high speed in Pakistan. There are many cases of forced marriages. A recent case of 13 years old Arzo has moved the whole nation. This little Christan girl was abducted and forced to marry Ali Azhar, a local Muslim. However, it’s not the first case let’s dig into the past and put some light on some similar incidents.

In October, a teenage Hindu girl, Simran Kumari from Ghotki in Sindh, was kidnapped and then miraculously resurfaced at the shrine of Bharchundi Sharif, infamous for converting thousands of Hindu girls to Islam. Kumari’s family members are now forbidden to see their daughter because they are ‘kafirs’ and she has been married off to her Muslim kidnapper.

In another case, 14-year-old Parsha Kumari from Khairpur was abducted, forced to convert, and married to Abdul Saboor. Like in most conversions cases, the family produced a school certificate to verify age, but a ‘free-will affidavit’ from the kidnapper-husband set the minor’s age at 18. Thus, showing that the girl is an adult and can make her own decisions.

14-year old Christian girl, Huma Younus from Karachi was kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married to a Muslim man on October 10, 2019. A 19-year-old Sikh girl, who went missing for days, was forcibly converted to Islam and made to marry a Muslim man in Nankana Sahib near Lahore

According to a US-based Sindhi Foundation, over 1000 young Sindhi Hindu girls between the ages of 12 and 28 have been abducted, forcibly married, and converted to Islam. A 2015 report by the South Asia Partnership-Pakistan in collaboration with Aurat Foundation found that that at least 1,000 girls are forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan every year.

In all the above cases there is only one thing that protects these devils and it’s our law. Maria Shahbaz, a 14-year-old Christian teenager who recently escaped her abductors, provided testimony on how she was raped, forced to convert, and then married to her kidnapper. But the court gave orders to return to her kidnapper. In the case of Arzoo on Oct. 15, the police summoned the family to the station where they were given marriage papers which claimed Arzoo was 18 and had willingly converted to Islam after marrying Ali Azhar, a local Muslim.

Our Iman only awakes when someone in Europe disrespects Islam or suppress our Muslim brother. But we (Politicians, State institutions, and People) always keep our mouth shut on Minority issues. Let’s we (the masses) vow today that we will follow Islamic principles regarding Minority Rights. Let’s our state vows today that it would protect their rights. Let’s our Politicians vow today that they would make laws for their protection. Let’s Courts vows today that it would implement these laws and would follow the Islamic Judicial System.

Let’s we all vow today that we will become the real “Riasat-e- Madina”!!!