Maryam Mushtaq, accompanied by Romail, her 11-year-old brother, was
walking home from a college in Lahore on a sunny afternoon, when suddenly she
was brutally accosted. Two masked men jumped out of a white Corrola and grabbed
the kicking and screaming Maryam, forcing her into the back of the car. The
abductors shouted abuse and threats at Romail as he rushed home to tell his
mother. Frantic, Maryam's mother filed a police report of Maryam's kidnapping.
Two days later the police informed her that her daughter had not been kidnapped,
but rather had married a Muslim man, Muhammad Ali, who produced a marriage
certificate. Her faith was listed as Muslim. Maryam is a dedicated Christian
woman weekly worshipping with her family.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. 18 such incidents
were reported in Punjab province of Pakistan during the months of April-May
2016. In all cases, the girls were Christians, forced to convert to Islam and
given as sex slaves to influential Muslim men. Four of the 18 women were already
married to Christian husbands and had children. According to a ruling of the
Lahore High Court, "Christian marriages do not dissolve on conversion to Islam
or any religion." The Constitution of Pakistan protects the Christian Marriage
Act, but in spite of the ruling of the court, powerful Muslim clerics claim
otherwise: "After conversion to Islam, the previous marriage stands null and
void...," a convenient loophole protecting accused kidnappers. These crimes cry
out for justice!
