Issue of enforced conversions

At Thursday's session of the National Assembly the issue of enforced conversions of Hindu girls for marriage with Muslim men in Sindh dominated the proceedings. Minority communities' members demanded that the government take solid steps to eliminate the practice and to bring to justice those involved in the activity. MNAs Lal Chand and Mahesh Kumar expressed grave concern over what they described as kidnapping and forced conversion of Hindu girls. The immediate cause of the outrage was an incident that took place on February 24 in Ghotki district's town Mirpur Mathelo. There men said to be patronised by PPP MNA, Mian Abdul Haq, forcibly took away a 17-year-old girl, Rinkle Kumari, from her home to Bharchundi Sharif, a spiritual centre controlled by Haq. There she became Faryal Shah from Rinkle Kumari and wife of one of the abductees, Naveed Shah. The family's efforts to win back her custody through police and a court case have so far come to naught. Her relatives expected her to be sent, as per normal practice, to the local Darul Amman pending final court decision, but she was allowed to stay with her 'husband.' The case needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of the family, all the more so considering that the girl is only seventeen, a year short of attaining adulthood. Given the sensitivities involved, the government ought to order a judicial inquiry, and ensure justice is delivered. Rinkle's is not the only case of its nature. As PPP MNA and sister of President Zardari, Azra Pechuho noted while speaking on the issue, Hindus are facing a lot of challenges in Sindh. Hindu girls, she said, are being forcibly kept in various seminaries in Sindh and later forced to marry Muslim boys. Both she and another PPP member, Nafisa Shah, called for enactment of new laws to protect minority rights and stop forced conversions. Needless to say, these conversions do not serve the cause of Islam. There is no place for coercion in the faith. And the Constitution provides legal protection to minorities. What is needed therefore are not new laws but a strong will on the part of government to protect rights of all citizens, and counter religious intolerance in society, which is being promoted by the unchecked growth of fundamentalism. The government must also undertake other steps to promote communal harmony, such as including religious tolerance in school curriculum's. An important perspective on the subject came from a PML-N MNA, Dr Araish Kumar, who complained that non-Muslim students were forced to read Islamic studies in government schools, and that those who refuse are thrown out. The complaint merits serious thought. It would make better sense to give non-Muslim students the option of reading religious studies, learning about Islam along with other major religions. Also, Muslims students should be introduced to knowledge of other major religions. Copyright Business Recorder, 2012