GUJRANWALA, PAKISTAN (ANS) – Two Christian girls were forced to “convert” to Islam after they were allegedly raped by some four Muslim men.
ANS has learnt that on December 30, 2008, the Rev. Pastor Sharif Alam called the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) to inform about the case of two Christian sisters, Parvisha, 18, and Sanam, 14, daughters of Arif Masih. Pastor Alam requested CLAAS to take their case to provide justice to the poor victims.
The trouble for the pair began in November last year when Parvisha received a phone call from an unknown caller, who was later identified as a neighbour.
After introducing himself as the owner of a beauty saloon, the neighbor offered free training in cosmology to Parvisha, who also asked her younger sister Sanam to take the training with her. They both persuaded their parents to allow them to take this training and job. The caller told Parvisha that he would come to pick them from their house.
On November 12, 2008, the neighbor and a friend allegedly drugged the girls after a 30 minute drive. When the girls came to their senses they found themselves locked in a small hotel room in Mianwali (a district 800km away from Gujranwala).
The men, who were allegedly armed with weapons, hurled death threats at the girls. During the night each man were said to have raped both girls. Before dawn they checked out of the hotel taking the girls hostage at gun point and drove them to Karachi where they stayed at a house for six days.
During this time they allegedly repeatedly raped both girls. On the sixth day they took the girls to a local Madressah (an Islamic religious seminary) where they were “converted” to Islam.
The girls were also given new Islamic names. Parvisha was named Sana and Sanam was given Islamic name Tayyaba. After the “conversion” they told the girls that if they cooperated with them they would soon release them. From the Madressah they took the girls to two lawyers.
The lawyers were told that both girls had “converted to Islam” and wished to stay at a government-run shelter instead of going back to home. Instead of helping the rape victims, the lawyers then allegedly took the girls to a flat and subjected them to sexual assaults.
They were said to have dragged Parvisha into a room where they raped her. Sanam woke up when she heard someone yelling for help. Sanam managed to call emergency and the police arrived at the scene very quickly.
One of the lawyers was arrested and taken to the Ferozabad Police Station in Karachi. A Police First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him. Parvisha was immediately transferred to a hospital. Sanam then called her father Arif Masih from the police station informing him of the situation. Arif Masih immediately rushed to Karachi to bring his daughters back home.
While members of CLAAS team were still talking to the victims and their family, a large crowd of people gathered outside Pastor Alam’s house. Chanting slogans, they demanded custody of the “newly-converted” girls. The crowd became hostile and started throwing bricks and stones at Pastor Alam’s house. Mr. Joseph Francis, the National Director of Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), and Pastor Alam narrowly escaped a bullet when they were probing into the case.
Sensing gravity of the situation Mr. Francis and Pastor Alam called the local police. The mob caught Pastor Alam’s son, Sheraz, and severely beat him. The police arrived when the angry mob was trying to break into Pastor Alam’s house. Police managed to disperse the crowd. Police first Information report was lodged against culprits. They also arrested three people in connection with this attack.
Pastor Sharif Alam’s son-in-law has allegedly gone missing since that attack. He accused fundamentalist Muslims of kidnapping his son-in-law in a bid to keep him from pursuing the case.
On January 2, 2009 both girls recorded their statements before the local Magistrate. They stated that they were abducted from their home, raped and then forcibly converted to Islam. They said that they want to live and die in their own religion and at no cost will leave their family.
Two More Pakistani Girls Abducted, Forced to ‘Convert’.
Joel Landon Watts is a Masters of Theological Studies student with a focus in Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific ideals of the past century. Currently, he is a TA for Old Testament at United Theological Seminary under Dr. Vivian Johnson, Associate Professor of Old Testament. His first book, Rhetorical Strategies of the Evangelist: Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark, is expected to be published by Wipf and Stock early next year. He is currently co-editing a book on moving from Fear to Faith (Energion, 2013).
This is intensily heart-breaking. May we continue to pray for the persecuted Church around the world. This is just one of many cases of such abuse against God’s people. In the end, all must give an account.
I would not want to be on the wrong team on that great and terrifying day.
Patrick
This is intensily heart-breaking. May we continue to pray for the persecuted Church around the world. This is just one of many cases of such abuse against God’s people. In the end, all must give an account.
I would not want to be on the wrong team on that great and terrifying day.
Patrick
and just think , that could very well happen here one day,, sad, I pray for their deliverance from all that wrongdoing, all the hate Islamics have for others…Only animals would rape and torture ..
and just think , that could very well happen here one day,, sad, I pray for their deliverance from all that wrongdoing, all the hate Islamics have for others…Only animals would rape and torture ..
I had some friends in the ministry who recently visited Turkey. They showed up right after the murder of those 3 Christian men.
Young muslims pretended to be interested in Christianity, set up a time to meet with the Christians. Shut the doors, tied them up.. Removed their male organs.. cut them from head-to-toe, and finally slit their throats.
In our Nation we take for granted the freedom that we have. Yet at the same time, there is a different kind of prison here – a field of manipulation and delusion.. it’s easy to get sucked into greed, pride, and “The American Dream.”
In any case, we need God’s grace more now than ever.
I had some friends in the ministry who recently visited Turkey. They showed up right after the murder of those 3 Christian men.
Young muslims pretended to be interested in Christianity, set up a time to meet with the Christians. Shut the doors, tied them up.. Removed their male organs.. cut them from head-to-toe, and finally slit their throats.
In our Nation we take for granted the freedom that we have. Yet at the same time, there is a different kind of prison here – a field of manipulation and delusion.. it’s easy to get sucked into greed, pride, and “The American Dream.”
In any case, we need God’s grace more now than ever.
Patrick, thank you for sharing this.
Patrick, thank you for sharing this.
And muslims say Islam is not compulsion.
I am amazed at the crowd chanting and demanding to get the “converted” girls in their custody. More rape perhaps? Hey everybody else had their shot, so why can’t the rest of them.
Rape in Pakistan is common and unpunished. Gang rapes are quite common. Most cases remain unreported due to blackmail and the social stigma where honour of the family is considered tainted and the girls (victims) mere shame. I applaud courageous women and girls like Sanam and her sister, who go against the tide and report these atrocities.
However the verdict if any from the courts will be predictable. The lawyers, the armed men will be released and considered innocent. This is what happened with Mukhtar Mai, Dr. Shazia, Sonia Naz and remaining rape vitcims of Pakistan.
It sure is nice to see that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan knows how to treat their girls and women. Daylight abductions and kidnappings from girls colleges, schools, homes, streets are common. When you know rape wont be punished and you can buy yourself out of any jail or courtcase. Nice.
And what do the mullahs, the imams, the learned “scholars”, the muftis and other “god fearing” people have to say? Nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. I guess ordaining hijabs for females is a higher priority than protecting their women from this animals. And many of these “godfearing” people are the animals.
Look up Hudood Ordinance to explain in full what Pakistan does to prevent rape. They silence the victims by attacking and accusing them of fornication.
The fact that nobody is intervening or seeking to protest these cruelties shows they agree in silence. Silence is accepting.
And muslims say Islam is not compulsion.
I am amazed at the crowd chanting and demanding to get the “converted” girls in their custody. More rape perhaps? Hey everybody else had their shot, so why can’t the rest of them.
Rape in Pakistan is common and unpunished. Gang rapes are quite common. Most cases remain unreported due to blackmail and the social stigma where honour of the family is considered tainted and the girls (victims) mere shame. I applaud courageous women and girls like Sanam and her sister, who go against the tide and report these atrocities.
However the verdict if any from the courts will be predictable. The lawyers, the armed men will be released and considered innocent. This is what happened with Mukhtar Mai, Dr. Shazia, Sonia Naz and remaining rape vitcims of Pakistan.
It sure is nice to see that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan knows how to treat their girls and women. Daylight abductions and kidnappings from girls colleges, schools, homes, streets are common. When you know rape wont be punished and you can buy yourself out of any jail or courtcase. Nice.
And what do the mullahs, the imams, the learned “scholars”, the muftis and other “god fearing” people have to say? Nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. I guess ordaining hijabs for females is a higher priority than protecting their women from this animals. And many of these “godfearing” people are the animals.
Look up Hudood Ordinance to explain in full what Pakistan does to prevent rape. They silence the victims by attacking and accusing them of fornication.
The fact that nobody is intervening or seeking to protest these cruelties shows they agree in silence. Silence is accepting.
sound like a bunch of wild animals there,,I feel sorry for the women.. sad,sad, when anyone has to retort to violence….
sound like a bunch of wild animals there,,I feel sorry for the women.. sad,sad, when anyone has to retort to violence….
Deb, it’s the abundance of stories like this that make my skin crawl when I hear someone say that Islam is a religion of peace.
Deb, it’s the abundance of stories like this that make my skin crawl when I hear someone say that Islam is a religion of peace.