Home Human Rights Forced Conversion in Sindh: Would there be an end to woes of Hindu Community?

Forced Conversion in Sindh: Would there be an end to woes of Hindu Community?

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Forced Conversion in Sindh: Would there be an end to woes of Hindu Community?
File photo from social media

In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of conversion cases; recent case of Suman (renamed Kainat) is just one example of the ongoing problem of forced conversions in Sindh

Shoukat Lohar  

Forced conversion of Hindu girls to other faiths is a burning issue in Sindh province of Pakistan.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of cases where Hindu girls are being abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to Muslim men. The situation is particularly alarming in the Ghotki District of Sindh, where a cleric named Mian Mithoo has earned notoriety for his role in facilitating the forced conversions of Hindu girls.

The causes of this phenomenon are multifaceted and complex. Let’s try to understand it to some extent.

At the heart of the issue is the fact that Hindus, who make up only a small percentage of the population in Pakistan, are a marginalized community that is often subjected to discrimination and prejudice.

This marginalization is compounded by the fact that many Hindus in Pakistan are poor and lack access to education and other opportunities. Also they are divided into number of sub castes and their petty fractions. As a result, they are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, including forced conversions.

In addition, there is a long history of religious tension between Hindus and Muslims in Pakistan.

This tension has been fueled by a number of factors, including the partition of India in 1947, which resulted in the creation of Pakistan as a separate Muslim-majority country. Since then, there have been periodic outbreaks of violence and persecution against minority communities, including Hindus.

The consequences of forced conversion are devastating for the girls and their families. For the girls, the experience is traumatic and often involves physical and psychological abuse. They are often cut off from their families and communities and forced to live with their new husbands, who may be much older than them and who they may not even know. In many cases, the girls are also forced to abandon their Hindu identity and adopt Islamic customs and practices, which can be a difficult and traumatic process.

For the families of the victim girls, the experience is also traumatic and often involves a long and difficult struggle to get their daughters back. They may face threats and intimidation from the abductors and their allies, as well as legal obstacles, including a biased justice system that often favors Muslims over Hindus. In many cases, the families are also ostracized by their communities and forced to live in fear and isolation.

The recent case of Suman (renamed Kainat after conversion) is just one example of the ongoing problem of forced conversions in Sindh. The fact that there are many other similar cases in the area is a clear indication that this is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed urgently. The video in which the girl is seen sitting silently while her husband threatens those who have discussed their relationship is a clear indication of the power dynamics at play in these situations. It is clear that the girls are not making a free and informed choice when they convert to Islam and marry Muslim men.

The role of Mian Mithoo in facilitating these conversions cannot be underestimated. As a powerful cleric with political connections, he has been able to act with impunity and continues his activities despite widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and other groups. His actions are a clear violation of the basic human rights of the girls and their families, as well as a violation of the Pakistani constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and protects the rights of minorities.

The government of Pakistan has a responsibility to take action to stop this practice and protect the rights of its citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. It must ensure that the justice system is fair and impartial and that perpetrators of forced conversion are held accountable for their actions. It must also provide support and assistance to the families of the girls who have been forcibly converted, including legal aid and counseling services.

In addition, there needs to be a wider effort to address the underlying causes of this issue, including poverty, discrimination, and religious tension.

This will require a concerted effort from all sectors of society, including religious leaders, civil society organizations, and the media, to stop this practice. This ignoble action put the parents of abducted girls into complete trauma and social boycott from their tribe and other people living around them. This brings for them immeasurable disrespect and degradation from all over the world. This is agonizing and painful; this must be halted immediately.

The recent incident has left the civil society and progressive class of Sindh in complete limbo! As Hindus hold entire business in Sindh, such incidents would force them to migrate to India and it will aggravate the situation of human rights.

Let’s all think about this social stigmatization of Sindh- Sindh which remains the land of pluralism and unity. No force or violence is acceptable in this regard.

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Shoukat LoharShoukat Lohar is Assistant professor in English at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro. He can be reached at Shoukat.ali@faculty.muet.edu.pk

 

 

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