Pakistani court sparks outrage by ruling 14-year-old Christian girl must stay married to alleged abductor

Joe Wallen

August 5, 2020, 2:24 PM

Around 1,000 Christian and Hindu women are kidnapped each year and typically forced to convert to Islam - Mohsin Raza/Reuters

A Pakistani court has sparked outrage by ruling a 14-year-old Christian girl was legally married to a Muslim man who allegedly abducted her at gunpoint. 

In a case that has renewed focus on the persecution of Pakistan's Christian minority, the Lahore High Court ruled on Tuesday that Maira Shahbaz had willingly converted to Islam and married Mohamad Nakash. 

The girl and her family claim that she was kidnapped in April by Mr Nakash and two accomplices from near her home in the city of Faisalabad. If the ruling is not reversed, Ms Shahbaz will have to return to Mr Nakash's home from the shelter she was temporarily placed in. 

Around 1,000 Christian and Hindu women are abducted each year in Pakistan and typically forced to convert to Islam, according to the Movement for Solidarity and Peace.

The victim's parents say they will take the case to Pakistan's Supreme Court, which infamously overturned the death penalty given to Asia Bibi for blasphemy - AFP

Mr Nakash, who is already married, tried to claim Ms Shahbaz was 19-years-old but this was discounted by the victim’s family who produced birth certificates and school records to show she was a minor.

After this evidence was provided last week, a local court ruled Ms Shahbaz should be removed from Mr Nakash’s house and placed in a girls’ shelter, pending further investigation.

However, that decision was reversed on Tuesday by a court with a greater jurisdiction in Pakistan. The victim's lawyer, Khalil Tahir Sandhu, claimed 150 of Mr Nakash’s associates arrived at the court.

“It is unbelievable. What we have seen today is an Islamic judgement. The arguments we put forwards were very strong and coherent,” Mr Sandhu told the Independent Catholic News (ICN).

“With this ruling, no Christian girl in Pakistan is safe,” echoed Pakistani Christian advocate, Lala Robin Daniel.

Ms Shahbaz was brought to tears by the ruling and her mother refused to speak to the media immediately afterwards, according to the ICN.

For the past two months a doctor in one of Pakistan’s busiest hospitals has kept a video diary for the BBC of the country’s struggle with coronavirus. Healthcare workers were overwhelmed when cases spiked after the Eid festival at the end of May. Since then, infections have fallen significantly but officials are warning of the possibility of a new rise following more Eid celebrations later this week. Dr Amara Khalid works at Mayo Hospital in Lahore.

Christians constitute approximately two percent of the Pakistani population but face increasing violence, discrimination and intolerance in the majority conservative Muslim nation.

Ms Shahbaz’s family has said they will appeal the decision and take it to the highest court in Pakistan to get their daughter back.

The Pakistani Supreme Court infamously overturned the death penalty sentence of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman charged with blasphemy.

In May, after the high-profile case, Ms Bibi was able to leave Pakistan to claim asylum in Canada after a prominent Islamic cleric led mass protests over the acquittal.


https://news.yahoo.com/pakistani-court-sparks-outrage-ruling-132417866.html

Seems Nigeria and Pakistan share a lot in common.

If you experienced loss of smell or taste or both between Jan & June this year and you live in Nigeria, kindly check on my signature

I would'v say, Islam is a religion for psycophaths!!,but i won't say such,don't wanna get banned by d mod.

Islamabad!!

T

Naijasurveys:
Seems Nigeria and Pakistan share a lot in common.

But Pakistan worst ohh!!

Nigerian cousins

Tomorrow they will say Islam is a religion of peace. Smh

antichristian where are u?

Where is that courageous spirit of the medieval Christians a people who banded together to stay the onslaught of Islam in the 12th, 13th and 14th century? They launched about 3 crusades, took the fight to the Middle East, chased the Muslims out of the holy land, destroyed a powerful caliphate in Spain and weakened Islam's hold in Turkey. Where is that spirit today? Oh, protestants! They would rather sit in their churches and bark at their god, they would rather emphasized on tithes, offerings, and sowing of seeds. Look at the number of Christian lives that have been painfully destroyed in Nigeria alone by Muslims in the guise of herdsmen and Bokoharam! Muslims are infiltrating, they have an ulterior motives for not just Nigeria, but West Africa as a whole. So, Christians, keep praying. Muslims are working!

Religion of piece indeed

joyandfaith:
antichristian
where are u?

I am here! Wetin happen?

Ewedu nd Amala blood is in dem,
Am nt surprised

Islam is a religion of peace... Our prophet is a man of peace... Our Allah is a man of peace...

Pakistan..! What a verdict!
The truth is.. If i ever find myself in her shoes.. I'll prepare to die. But he'll die first. A very slow and painful death at that.
Las las! Nah our wickedness go make human race go extinct oo.

These people should be wiped off the face of the earth..

These people are too violent and they want to forcefully take everything