Comments on: “Sindh’s Stolen Brides” – Excerpts

By: B Shantanu

B Shantanu — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:50:39 +0000

Saddening…
From Mass conversions: For Matli’s poor Hindus, ‘lakshmi’ lies in another religion by Saba Imtiaz / Sameer Mandhro, January 21, 2012
Money, jobs and a debt-free life: It sounds like a sweet deal for many of the Hindu labourers in Matli, but it comes with strings attached — convert to Islam.
Hundreds of Hindus in the area have converted to Islam in the past few years, courtesy seminaries, mosques and self-styled preachers.
Switching religions comes with an upgrade in social status and material benefits – Hindu converts said they could easily get Watan Cards and National Identification Cards, aid, and were given land and assistance by the organisation helpfully walking them over to the other side.
But these material benefits aren’t available for everyone. For the Hindus of the Bheel caste, who were converted by the Barelvi group Tanzeem Ulema-e-Islam, life is still restricted to the land that they are squatting on in Tando Mohammad Khan.
…
The converts shrug. When their minders are out of earshot, they say their life hasn’t changed much. Pyaro, for example, points out that he was already following many Muslim practices and as far as being a Hindu was concerned, he had never been to a temple or studied any of the religious texts. “Our nikahs were conducted by a Muslim. We ate chickens slaughtered by a Muslim.” His relatives in Mirpurkhas and other districts in Sindh have also converted to Islam, and had encouraged him and his wife Nazira (formerly Koraan) to also convert.
…
These desires have been fulfilled at the Madrassa Baitul Islam, a Deobandi seminary in Matli which meticulously maintains a log of the conversions. The first entry is dated November 1, 2009. The most recent is December 22, 2011, when they converted the 428th Hindu to Islam.
The seminary – which has received kudos from religious-political parties including the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and is affiliated with the Darul Uloom in Karachi – also pays off the debts of Hindus converting to Islam. Based on the entries in its records, this can range from a few thousand rupees to over Rs50,000.

By: B Shantanu

B Shantanu — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:00:34 +0000

Watch this BBC report dt 17th Jan '12: Pakistani Hindus fear forced conversion of young girls

By: Khandu Patel

Khandu Patel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:16:54 +0000

There are two aspects to this. Conversion from Hinduism begs the question what exactly does it stand for? The RSS if any knows its history has shirked the question of religious identity because to it and its affiliates the Vedic injunction “the whole world is a family” finds it hard not to include Islam as just another path to God. That is the explanation for the lack of the BJP’s protests on the issue. If we ask ourselves, does Hindus have a set of core religious beliefs which it adheres to strictly and fanatical zeal in the way of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, then the answer is much less clear cut and hardly in the affirmative. The Sikhs who discarded much of the peripheral nonsense of Hinduism have been able to provide the answer your readers are in need of. The RSS has been trying to Sikhism to the panthian of Hinduism’s diverse set of religious belief. Nothing could be more crass and stupid. I am not saying everything is right with Sikhism but the Sikh character is one that approximates best to the ancient Hindu character who was brave and fearless. The modern Hindu cannot make the comparison. If what I say is accepted, then Bharat as the home of Hindus would find it natural to accept a law of return on the same terms as the Jews of Israel. Hindu suffering under Islam has been comparable to the Jewish experience. The reset button is not going to be pressed by the BJP or the Congress or any other party in Bharat under the existing political dispensation. Unless you feel strongly enough to end that by all means available, then you will only keep adding fruitlessly the column inches of groans and moans to know effect whatsoever.

By: संदीप नारायण शेळके

संदीप नारायण शेळके — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:32:55 +0000

@Raja, I aapreciate your thoughts and support you.
I dont want to be called a secular myself as well.
But what can we do? Saying something is easy, we can say out of anger, frustration. But how to change the things? Any plans? Willing to collaborate?
Then lets unite and fight aginst these devil folces.

Jai Hind.

By: Vikram

Vikram — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:17:28 +0000

More news of Hindus from Pakistan being forced to convert to Islam for jobs etc. News of wives and childern being abducted by Taliban and being ‘illtreated’.
So the hindus have been migrating to India slowly from Rajasthan border since last 3 years as per this report by Thar express. Its a shame that people are being forced to move away from their homes, their lands, their occupations etc.
You never know, considering the situation there in Pak, even the mainstream muslim population there might slowly start crossing the border into India, and our secular government will only be obligated to invite them. We have already experienced that from the other side – Bangladesh.

News-report link

-Regards