International
Christian Concern (ICC) learned that Maria Shahbaz, a 14-year-old
Christian girl who was abducted and forcefully married to a Muslim man,
has escaped her abductor’s custody and fled into hiding with her mother
and three siblings in Faisalabad, Pakistan. This comes only weeks after
the Lahore High Court ruled that Shahbaz was legally married to her
abductor and ordered her to be returned to his custody.
On
April 28, 2020, Shahbaz was abducted at gunpoint by Mohamad Nakash and
two accomplices while walking home in Madina Town, near Faisalabad.
According to witnesses, the abductors forced Shahbaz into a car and
fired gunshots into the air as they fled the scene.
Aid to the
Church in Need reports that Shahbaz told police she was drugged, raped,
and forced to sign blank papers that were later used by Nakash as a
marriage certificate and a conversion certificate. Shahbaz also claimed
that Nakash filmed her being raped and threatened to release the video
online if she resisted.
After the abduction, Shahbaz remained
in Nakash’s custody. To justify his custody of Shahbaz, Nakash claims
that he and Shahbaz are married and that she has converted to Islam. To
support this claim, Nakash produced a marriage certificate stating that
Shahbaz is 19 years old. However, the validity of this certificate has
been brought into question as the Muslim cleric whose name is listed on
the certificate has denied any involvement in the marriage.
Shahbaz’s parents challenged the marriage’s validity in an attempt to
have their daughter returned to their custody. As evidence, Shahbaz’s
parents presented their daughter’s birth certificate to the Faisalabad
District and Sessions Court. This document, supported by other school
documents, proves that Shahbaz is a minor, rendering the marriage to
Nakash illegal under the Child Marriage Restraint Act.
On July
30, Judge Rana Masood of the Faisalabad District and Sessions Court
ordered that Shahbaz be allowed to leave Nakash’s custody and placed in a
women’s shelter, known as Dar ul Aman, until the Lahore High Court
heard her case. Following this order, police also registered a formal
complaint against Nakash and his two accomplices for Shahbaz’s
abduction.
On August 4, the ruling of the Faisalabad District
and Sessions Court was overturned by Judge Raja Muhammad Shahid Abbasi
of the Lahore High Court. Judge Abbasi reportedly ruled in favor of
Nakash because the court found that Shahbaz had converted to Islam.
Witnesses in the court claim that Shahbaz was in tears when the ruling
was announced.
“This case has highlighted the wicked tactics
used to force victims to make statements in favor of their abductors
before the courts in Pakistan,” Suneel Malik, a human rights defender in Pakistan, told ICC. “Victims are threatened with dire consequences if they speak the truth in court.”
“Authorities must bring these perpetrators to justice without any further delay,” Suneel Malik continued. “The government must also enact and enforce a law that protects minority women from forced conversions and forced marriages.”
According to a 2014 study by The Movement for Solidarity and Peace Pakistan,
an estimated 1,000 women and girls from Pakistan’s Hindu and Christian
communities are abducted, forcefully married to their captors, and
forcibly converted to Islam every year. The issue of religion is often
injected into cases of sexual assault to place victims from religious
minority communities at a disadvantage. Playing upon religious biases,
perpetrators know that they can cover up and justify their crimes by
introducing an element of religion.
William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, said, “We
here at International Christian Concern remain deeply concerned for
Maria’s safety and the safety of her family. The threats that Maria’s
abductor has issued against Maria and her family are very real and must
be taken seriously. We are also deeply disappointed by the High Court’s
decision to return Maria to the custody of her abductor. This has placed
Maria’s safety at risk and is likely why she and her family have gone
into hiding. Pakistan must do more to combat the issue of abductions,
forced marriages, and forced conversions to Islam. For too long
perpetrators have used the issue of religion to justify their crimes
against Pakistan’s religious minorities.”
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.
Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842
International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org
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