Pakistani court approves forced conversion and marriage
April 19, 2012
Pakistan’s highest court has ruled that three Hindu women who were abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to Muslim men must return to their husbands.
The court ruled that the women had chosen marriage and conversion freely. That finding ran directly contrary to the testimony of one of the women, who told the court she would rather be killed than returned to her husband. Both the women and their families received death threats during their trials.
The women’s cases, and the astonishing court decision, illustrate the inequities that non-Muslims face under Pakistani law. The AsiaNews service estimates that each year about 300 Hindu and Christian women are kidnapped, forced to convert, and pressured into marriage with Muslim men.
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Further information:
- Three Hindu women forced to convert have to go back to their Muslim husbands (AsiaNews)
- Pakistani girl begs court to stop forced conversion and marriage (CWN, 3/28)
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