Here’s an article that explains everything you need to know about Pakistan’s systemic forced conversions. If you want to talk about Pakistan, you must understand the system.
Recently in Pakistan, a 22-year-old Hindu girl named Vidya was:
– forcibly converted into Islam
– forced to marry an old, Islamist man
– forced to wear a headscarf
– forced to change her Hindu name into an Islamic one, “Rani Shaikh”
Vidya is one out of the thousands of Hindu girls in Pakistan who are being systemically persecuted. To help raise awareness for vulnerable Hindus like her, you need to understand how the state of Pakistan facilitates these forced conversions.
Under section 295C of Pakistan’s Penal Code, Hindus could face a mandatory death penalty and fine for blasphemy. Legally, their case must be presented under a Muslim judge.
Although at least 3 Hindu girls are kidnapped and forcibly converted into Islam daily in Pakistan, you rarely hear about it on the news because it could cost Hindu lives to speak up. Amnesty International has stated “there is overwhelming evidence that the laws violate human rights”.
Pakistani police don’t always register forced conversion cases. Pakistan’s police are one of the biggest facilitators in forced conversions. The National Corruption Perception Survey 2021 found that the police and the judiciary are the most corrupt institutions in Pakistan.
Pakistani Hindus can’t talk about forced conversions (in public or private) without a police report otherwise they will be charged with blasphemy. Since the police don’t even register cases, Pakistani Hindu girls, their families and their community are usually forced into silence.
Anti-forced conversion bills are frequently rejected. The state government of Sindh, Pakistan has repeatedly rejected bills to prevent forced conversions (specifically in the years 2016, 2019, and 2021).
There are 4.5million Hindus in Pakistan. Hindus are banned from becoming Prime Minister and have no representation in Pakistan’s Islamic-theocratic government, making Hindus reliant on Muslim lawmakers to ensure their safety. Hindus are constantly failed by the state of Pakistan and its lawmakers.
Pakistan’s education system encourages Hinduphobia.
A 2011 Pew Research Center study found that Pakistan is the third most intolerant country in the world.
American-backed, General Zia-ul-Haq Islamised Pakistan’s textbooks. His measures are still supported by Pakistan’s right-wing, pan-Islamist political parties.
Textbooks in Pakistan usually depict Hindus as the “enemies of Islam.” Meanwhile, Muslims are portrayed as “peaceful.” Pakistan’s Hindus are forced to learn religious Islamic material even in public schools.
Pakistan was built on the nationalist belief that Indian-Muslims are superior turkic colonisers who need a theocratic country. During the Islamic conquest of South Asia (specifically the Mughal rule), Hindu women who did not cover their heads could legally be treated as sex slaves by Muslim men. This practice caused many Hindu women to protest by taking their own lives.
Nothing has changed! Indigenous Hindu women are still being exploited and forced to cover their heads in Pakistan by people who call themselves Turkic colonisers.
Pakistani Hindus can’t speak up for themselves without risking their lives.
If you live outside of Pakistan, please be an ally and stand with indigenous Hindus.
Source-
www.dawn.com/news/672000/pakistan-schools-teach-hindu-hatred
www.thediplomat.com/2019/03/how-pakistans-constitution-facilitates-blasphemy-lynching-and-forced-conversions/
www.geo.tv/latest/386466-police-judiciary-most-corrupt-instituitions-in-the-country-reveals
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/pakistan-must-protect-religious-freedom-for-hindus/
hrcp-web.org/publication/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/State-of-Human-Rights-in-2017.pdf
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread of @HinduSamata)
