₦airaland Forum

Josephus spoke to The New Arab last week about the racist attacks he and other Black migrants have experienced in Tunisia, including torture, confiscation of private property, arbitrary detention, and imprisonment by authorities, as well as frequent harassment and assault by Tunisian civilians.

Many migrants from Sub-Saharan African countries have left Tunisia since President Kais Saied made a speech in February that many have called out as racist.

On February 21, Saied said “hordes of irregular migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa” had come to Tunisia, “with all the violence, crime, and unacceptable practices that entails”. He said this was an “unnatural” situation and part of a plan designed to “change the demographic make-up” and turn Tunisia into “just another African country that doesn’t belong to the Arab and Islamic nations anymore”.

Most of the estimated 21,000 sub-Saharan African people in Tunisia are undocumented, making it complicated for them to leave the country, while many of them – including Josephus and his wife and child – have lost their work and homes in recent months.

Chanda Maharaj, a 13-year-old non-muslim girl, was forcibly abducted in the Fateh Chowk area of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan, while on her way back home from the mill area of Fateh Chowk.

According to her father Ammar and her sisters, she was taken by people riding in a white car, including Muslim Shaman Magsi, who had been regularly harassing her. A complaint was filed with the police, but no action was taken. Her distraught mother made a heart-rending appeal for her daughter’s return, but her fate remained unknown for some time. Activist group Voice of Sindh lodged an FIR with the police, but the SSP Hyderabad did not take action. It wasn’t until an international outcry that the police finally rescued Chanda.

Chanda’s distraught mother made a heart-rending appeal for her daughter’s return, but her fate remained unknown.

Chanda was finally recovered two months later from her Muslim abductors and had a tearful reunion with her family. It is important for people to see the fear and pain writ large on the minor’s face – else the Islamic-liberal propagandists will keep brushing aside these cases as ‘unconfirmed’ or ‘consensual.’

The poor child’s ordeal showed no sign of ending after supposedly being rescued. The frightened and distressed girl was forced to appear in a Sindh court to record her statement before a magistrate. The Islamic-controlled government court decided to send her for a medical examination to ‘determine her age.’ She was then sent to a ‘shelter home’ and not allowed to return to her own family home.

There were even disturbing reports that Chanda was gang-raped and possibly even kept in Balochistan for some time. The Muslim abductor produced fake conversion and marriage certificates, hinting at the involvement of a well-oiled nexus.

After some time in the shelter, authorities handed the abused child back to her abductor, leaving her family in shock and despair. Her parents do not know where she is nor whether she is alive or has been killed.

Sindh law prohibits marriage of anyone below 18, although implementation is questionable. In 2020, the Sindh High Court passed a shocking judgment on the abduction of a 14-year-old Christian girl Huma Younus – the court held that even if Huma were underage, her ‘marriage’ with her abductor would still stand as she had started menstruating (sharia law says that a girl can be considered legal for a forced marriage once she has attained puberty or turned 15).

There have been a few attempts to pass an anti-forced conversion bill. Still, it has always been hampered by Muslim clerics and bodies like the Council of Islamic Ideology, which exercises a kind of veto in such matters.

In the odd case that police recover a girl due to pressure from her family, human rights activists, and some local media outlets, a familiar script plays out. First, the girl is threatened to give a statement in court in favor of her abductors and declare that she ‘chose Islam of her own free will.’ Then, medical panels are rigged or bribed to ensure that she is declared to be the age of consent, and all necessary documentation to prove the conversion and ‘marriage’ are fabricated like clockwork. Beyond this point, the poor parents cannot afford to pursue legal recourse and resign themselves to their fate.

The situation of Christians, Hindus, and other religious minorities, especially women, is worsening in Pakistan, according to the International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS). Discrimination from authorities, political groups, religious parties, the feudal structure, and the Muslim majority have made minority women and girls the worst victims. They are abducted, forcibly converted, forcibly “married,” and abused, with their families unable to challenge these crimes using legal avenues.

Abducting for the purpose of forced conversion and marriage is a major issue in Pakistan, with Christian and Hindu girls and young women often forced to wed much older Muslim men against their will.

Human rights organizations working on this issue estimate that every year 1,000 Hindu and Christian girls are forced to convert to Islam — an estimate that could be far higher as many cases remain unreported. One significant motivation behind this is the aspiration to boost Pakistan’s Muslim population, driven by the Islamic belief that those who convert non-Muslims to Islam will earn a place in paradise.

In Pakistan, religious minorities are viewed as lower than Muslims because they do not adhere to Islam. In addition, because Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, non-Muslims are considered second-class citizens, and their faiths are considered less holy. This lessening of the importance of non-Muslims helps create a religious hierarchy that justifies the abuse.

Governmental and law enforcement agencies are well-informed about the issue but refuse to officially acknowledge it. Instead, they argue that Islam does not stipulate a minimum age for conversion, and if a girl willingly chooses to embrace Islam, no action can be taken against it. In doing so, they shift the burden onto the victims and absolve themselves of any accountability. Furthermore, they accuse minority groups and NGOs of exaggerating the problem, claiming that it is a baseless accusation to advance their own agendas.

Human rights groups have been documenting the plight of Pakistan’s religious minorities for years, but only recently has the public become aware of their treatment, thanks to social media.

Chanda’s case is just one example of the ongoing struggle faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. Many other victims have reported frustration with local authorities and police for siding with perpetrators, while higher authorities have failed to pass legislation specifically criminalizing this problem.

Given this inaction, international pressure on Pakistan is crucial in ending this abuse. Without external motivation, it is unlikely that the Pakistani government will heed the calls of minority leaders and civil society to take action against forced conversions.

Human rights organizations such as the CHINGARI project are calling for Chanda and other women to be returned to their parents and for the Pakistani government to take action to protect the rights of minority communities.

CHINGARI Project
The CHINGARI project is a global campaign to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of Christians, Hindu, Sikh, and other religious minority girls who have been abducted, sexually abused, and forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan. This campaign comes at a time when the plight of religious minorities in Pakistan is at an all-time high, with the systematic discrimination and persecution of these communities by the Pakistani authorities.

Pakistan has a long history of discrimination against its religious minorities, especially Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. The concentration of the Hindu population is now limited to just four districts in the Sindh province of Pakistan, and their population has dwindled drastically from 12.9% in 1947 to just 2.14% in 2017. The institutionalized forced conversion of these communities is carried out by the Dargah Bharchundi Sharif Seminary, with the backing of the Pakistan Judiciary.

According to a recent report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), around 1,000 women each year are abducted, sexually abused, and converted to Islam in Pakistan. These atrocities have been continuing for decades, and the victims of these crimes are often young girls between the ages of 12 and 17. They are abducted, married off to much older men, and forbidden from ever returning to their families.

The CHINGARI project, led by the Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective (HinduPACT), aims to highlight these innocent girls’ plight and bring awareness to Hindus across the globe through information advocacy, community outreach, and research. The project also seeks to make the local US representatives aware of Pakistan’s unstable religious situation and encourage them to take further action to convey their disapproval.

The CHINGARI project is an essential step towards highlighting the ongoing cultural genocide and extermination of religious minorities in Pakistan. It is a call to action for people worldwide to stand in solidarity with these communities and demand justice for the victims of these atrocities. The Pakistani government must take immediate action to address these communities’ systemic discrimination and persecution and ensure the protection of their fundamental human rights.

The call for an independent “Sindhudesh” (Pakistan) is gaining momentum across the province, with the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani army cracking down on Sindhi nationalist leaders, activists, and students. The colony-type treatment of Sindh province might lead to a situation similar to what happened with East Pakistan (Bangladesh) in 1971. The exploitation of the natural resources and farmlands of Sindh by China through CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) is also a cause of concern for the local communities.

The CHINGARI project is a powerful campaign to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of Hindu, Sikh, and other religious minority girls who have been abducted, sexually abused, and forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan. It is a call to action for people worldwide to stand in solidarity with these communities and demand justice for the victims of these atrocities. The Pakistani government must take immediate action to address the systemic discrimination and persecution of these communities and to ensure the protection of their basic human rights.

iamrealdeji:
Those in the wrong direction with evidences wouldn't take the trip serious but those in the right direction with strong evidences would take the trip so serious,love it and do everything to protect it,respect it. I heard the Brazilians just mocked Prophet Jesus because almost every christian in the world deep down in their hearts doubt the teachings of christianity and see it all as fake and handiwork of some men who wrote it behind Prophet Jesus's back and he wasn't present to make corrections or kick against lies. So,christians either don't take it serious,stop going to church to give away to some gods of men,become atheists and non religious,go to church to dance heavily and meet opposite sex all for fun,dance to heavy beats or compete in wearing expensive outfits and the luckiest convert to Islam which is world's fastest growing religion cos many people can't be fooled. A religion they would dress properly and be separated totally from opposite sex while worshipping,take worship serious,wash and cleanse themselves 5 times daily,no beats,Quranic recitation is so beautiful and soothing,connect with God compulsorily 5 times daily asides some interlude connections,Even the fitness in Praying 5 times makes Arabs mostly in good shape. The farther the Mosque you go to to pray,the more your reward from Allah and trekking is far more rewarding from Allah than riding horse or vehicle. That alone is physical fitness,bending down and getting up while praying burns belly fat. The religious book,the Quran was written,memorized by many including Muhammad's wife Aisha while Muhammad was alive,and no single alteration on any single letter. Alteration of any single letter can lead anyone to hell. Comparing both,most people would choose the latter religion and respect it. That's why it's the world's fastest growing religion

On this day, one year ago, a Christian student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Deborah Samuel-Yakub, was murdered by muslim mob.

It was reported that the late Deborah thanked Jesus for helping her with her examinations, and for this reason she was accused of blaspheming against Islam and its false prophet.

The over-one-hundred police tasked with protecting her said they were over-powered by the mob. Allegedly one of the police made a video where he implied that the lady deserved to die brutally because she was a Christian. We can't find any information on whether or not the muslim policeman was punished for the video-- although, under this adminstration it is highly unlikely he was.

The PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, made a twitter post condemning the murder. However, the Post was deleted quickly following threats from his muslim supporters.

Apart from Atiku's brief condemnation, no other prominent Islamic figure condemned the murder: many were, however, publicly in support.

It was reported that Deborah was dragged into the open and her head was broken with an iron pipe, and then when she collapsed, her body was burnt beyond recognition-- to the jeers, whistles, and triumphant shouts of "allah akbar" (allah is greater.)

The muslim-only government of Muhammadu Buhari tasked with investigating and prosecuting the murderers said many of the murderers escaped to neighbouring countries, and the few who were arrested were only charged for "disturbing public peace".

Anger by the arrests, another batch of muslim mob staged multiple attacks on Christians by destroying Christian clinics, schools, and churches.

An army of muslim lawyers vowed to defend the arrested murderers in court, saying that the mob did nothing wrong.

Her killers and their supporters are still walking freely today.

Mele Kyari (GMD) | muslim
Umar Ajiya (Chief Finance Officer/Finance and Accounts) | muslim
Yusuf Usman (Chief Operating Officer) | muslim
Farouk Garba Sa’id (Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services) | muslim
Mustapha Yakubu (Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals) | muslim
Hadiza Coomassie (Corporate Secretary/Legal Adviser to the Corporation) | muslim
Omar Ibrahim (Group General Manager, International Energy Relations) | muslim
Kallamu Abdullahi (GGM Renewable Energy) | muslim
Ibrahim Birma (GGM Governance Risk and Compliance) | muslim
Bala Wunti (GGM NAPIMS) | muslim
Inuwa Waya (MD NNPC Shipping) | muslim
Musa Lawan (MD Pipelines And Product Marketing) | muslim
Mansur Sambo (MD Nigeria Petroleum Development Company) | muslim
Lawal Sade (MD Duke Oil/NNPC Trading Company) | muslim
Malami Shehu (MD Port Harcourt Refining Company) | muslim
Muhammed Abah (MD Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company) | muslim
Abdulkadir Ahmed (MD Nigeria Gas Marketing Company) | muslim
Salihu Jamari (MD Nigeria Gas and Power Investment Company Limited) | muslim
Mohammed Zango (MD NNPC Medical Services) | muslim
Sarki Auwalu (Director, Department of Petroleum Resources) | muslim

Akinzo2121:
Na wa for naija ooo

Shaquru Ndifuna, 33, was receiving treatment for blood loss at a medical clinic in Iganga town in the district of the same name, area Christians said.

A former Islamic teacher at Noor Islamic Institute in Mayuge District, Ndifuna is a resident of Kaliro Town Council, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Iganga town. He put his faith in Christ in January an open-air evangelistic event in Namutumba, 39 kilometers from Iganga town.

Word of his conversion spread, a cleric at the Noor Islamic Mosque began monitoring his movements, and in April three Islamic leaders visited him at his home, said an area Christian unnamed for security reasons.

“They questioned me about my absence as a teacher at Noor Mosque,” Ndifuna told Morning Star News. “I tried to explain to them about my other commitments elsewhere. One of them mentioned about me having become a Christian, but I did not respond. Afterwards the three Muslim leaders left.”
Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m., four Muslims intruded into his house, he said.

“They forcefully entered into the house, shouting about me having blasphemed the Islamic religion and trying to force me to confess that Jesus is not the Son of God, and that Allah is the only God to be worshipped and Muhammad is His prophet,” Ndifuna said. “I refused to renounce Jesus as the Son of God. They started beating me up.”

His wife and three children hid in a bedroom, and his wife telephoned a family friend, saying that the assailants were beating him unconscious and that he had lost a lot of blood, the source said.

“The attackers have left, I think they thought my husband is dead – they did not touch his phone nor any property,” his wife told the friend, according to the source.

The friend drove to their home, took Ndifuna to a nearby medicine shop for first aid and later transferred him to the clinic in Iganga, the source said.

“Please take care of my children, I am not sure whether I will survive,” Ndifuna told Morning Star News at the hospital. “The Muslims who injured me were trying to force me to return to Islam, but I refused.”

Ndifuna suffered a deep cut on the right side of the forehead, a fracture in his right hand and a neck injury as the assailants tried to strangle him, the source said. His vision has been affected, and he has difficulty breathing.

“He can’t swallow solid food,” the source said. “He is using a drip of intravenous fluids with a little juice for his survival.”

The Senior Secondary (SS) 1 student of Government Secondary School, who hails from Magamia Dama Kasuwa of Zangon Kataf Local Council of Kaduna State, was born on April 29, 2009.

She relocated to Ikara to live with her aunty, Esther Danjuma, as a result of ill health and insecurity, which affected her village.

The Guardian learnt that her aunty opted to treat her with local herbs since her sick father could not adequately take care of her.

When she started responding to treatment, her aunty thought it wise for her to continue with her education, which was on hold for a while due her health challenge.

Consequently, on March 10, 2023, Esther was enrolled at Government Secondary School Danlawal Ikara, which was very close to where the aunty runs her restaurant business.

According to a source, as Esther continued to attend her classes, on April 5, 2023, she left for school in the morning, but didn’t return home.

“Esther’s aunty started looking for her that very day but couldn’t find her. The following day, she was alerted by someone who saw Esther in the house of one Mallam Sani Danmeyamma Danlawal.

On reaching the house, Danlawal’s daughter, Mansura, who is Esther’s classmate, confessed that the teenager came to her house to help her with washing, but left the house afterwards.

“When the matter was reported to the Village head of Danlawal, he summoned and questioned the said Mansura, who later confessed that Esther was taken to Dorayi to the house of one Aisha Basiru.

“On hearing this, Esther’s aunty left for Dorayi in search of the teenager, and on reaching there, she received the shocking news that one Badeyi Bala, who claimed to be a police officer and one Alhaji Lawal, who is an aide to the village head of Dorayi (Dogarin Sarkin Dorayi), admitted that one Aisha brought Esther to him to convert her to Islam, which he did with the said Badeyi Bala, who claims to be a policeman.

They said that Esther was with them and they will not give her back to the parents since they have now converted her to Islam.

“When the parents insisted on the return of Esther, the two staff members of the village head refused and even threatened their lives.

“In view of the threat they received and the refusal to return Esther to them, Esther’s aunty went and reported the matter to the Kunkumi Police Station and thereafter the matter was transferred to the Makarfi Local Council Divisional Police Station.

“Instead of handing over Esther back to her family, the Makarfi Police Command handed over Esther to the Makarfi District Head (Hakimin Makarfi). Esther’s aunty, together with some Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) officials of Makarfi council went to see the Hakimi on the same matter, but he refused to grant them an audience.

“The same Hakimi handed over Aisha to Daawa, the Islamic group in charge of converting and indoctrinating Muslims converts who are now boasting and threatening to convert even Esther’s aunty.

“The same matter was taken to the Zaria Police Command by the same Muslim group to gain the support of the Police, because the Zaria Police Command ignored justice and decided to scold Esther’s aunty for insisting on the release of her daughter.

“On Monday, May 1, 2023, Esther’s biological father, Mr. Duniya, despite his health challenge, risked his life to go and see the Hakimin Makarfi, instead of listening to him, in conspiracy with the Daawah group threatened to convert him also.

“When they brought Esther to see him, she was crying and wanted to follow him, but Hakimi said that he would not release her to the parents. He said Esther will stay with him for one month until she finally decides to speak of her intention publicly to remain a Muslim,” the source added.

MEANWHILE, Hausa Christians Foundation (HACFO) has expressed sadness of Esther’s abuse, abduction and forceful conversion, as well as what it called continuous systematic persecution of Christians in the North.

In a letter, the group said: “We as Christians understand and appreciate the need for peaceful co-existence among the Christians and Muslims of Kaduna State and even Nigeria as a whole, which is why we the Hausa Christians Foundation, on behalf of the Duniya’s family decided to write to the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian Police Force and all the relevant laws enforcement agencies to ensure the safe release and return of Esther Duniya back to her family.

“From experience, our Christian girls that are usually abducted and forced into Islam are usually raped, abused sexually, physically and psychologically and even forced into marriage, which we are afraid that such have happened to our sister, Esther.

“Knowing well that Esther is still a minor (just 14 years old) and cannot make decisions for herself, we are calling on your good sense of justice, to intervene into the matter, and to see that, Esther Duniya is re-united back with her family and continue with her education, which is paramount. This can go a long way in promoting the peaceful co-existence between these people of different faith in their community, Kaduna State and Nigeria in general.

“We will continue to reject such evil doings and advocate for justice and respect for human rights and dignity across board.

“We therefore call on all Christians the world over to be praying for the Christians in Northern Nigeria. The persecution is surging and unbearable; from deliberate abduction, forced conversion to Islam and forced marriage of our young Christian girls through the help of the Islamic traditional rulers, to the displacement of several communities and kidnapping of many others for ransom.”

ALSO, civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked the Attorney -General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the Director General of National Anti-Human Trafficking Agency (NAPTIP), Fatima Waziri- Azi, to ensure the immediate release from captivity and forced conversion to Islam of Miss Esther Duniya.

Besides, HURIWA promised to sponsor a bill in the 10th session of the National Assembly to specifically criminalise the frequent capture of young Christian virgins in parts of North West of Nigeria and their ÷forced conversion and marriage by local traditional and Islamic leaders, which the group calls modern day sexual enslavement.

HURIWA also reminded the Kaduna State governor and the State’s Attorney General that if their offices fail to free the 14-year-old Esther Duniya from the alleged sexual slavery and forced conversion to Islam, the duo can be dragged to the International Criminal Court in the Haque, Netherlands, for this specific crime against humanity.

Specifically, HURIWA through the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, has alerted the National Assembly of the alleged abduction from school and forceful conversion to Islam of Esther Duniya.

Orbhagbemi555:
Seun
Mynd44
You need to suspend this betterheadline account for spreading religious bigotry