Talk:Christianity in Pakistan

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[edit] Explain

can anyone please explain me this sentance

...rape of Christian woman and abduction of Christian men and women, and forcible conversion to Islam have horrifed Christians, liberal Pakistanis, other religious communities and the outside world.

can anyone cite sources for this?

Infact chiristans in Pakistan more powerfull then ordinary man here, and Islam does not allow forcible conversions.Wisesabre 12:04, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

It does, however, allow you to fight and besiege them until they pay the Jizya or whatever.... Homestarmy 23:28, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

I'll take a stab at the question

I have no idea how widespread this is, in reality. For sure, Christians feel oppressed like this.

I googled some references:

A 12-year-old Christian girl was reportedly abducted and gang raped by 16 Muslim men in Pakistan. The alleged offence occurred at Rawlpindi, bordering Pakistans capital city of Islamabad. According to a news release from the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Sara Tabasum escaped two weeks later while she was being transported to a new location. APMA reported Tabasum managed to jump out of the vehicle and escape while it was on a busy road. Although the youngster was pursued, she still managed to reach her family.

[1]

A 12 year-old Christian girl was kidnapped and gang-raped by four Muslim men in Lahore, Pakistan on Easter Day. Less than a week later, a Christian man in Jamshoro district was threatened by a mob following allegations of Blasphemy.

[2]

"We’re deeply concerned about the growing number of attacks against Christians in Pakistan," says Release International’s CEO Andy Dipper.“We are receiving reports of rape, abductions and forced conversion. Pakistan is becoming an increasingly difficult place for Christians to live. "To make matters worse, the government is pushing through a law which could impose the death penalty for any Muslim man who converts to Christianity – and life imprisonment for any woman."

[3]

Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – A young Christian woman was kidnapped, raped and forced to convert to Islam by a Muslim man in Faisalabad, Khalil Tahir, chairman of “Adal Trust,” a free legal aid organisation that helps minorities, told AsiaNews. According to early reports, 18-year-old Razia went to visit her aunt on October 21 but never came home. Her parents went out looking for her but to no avail. They also contacted a Muslim man, Sajid, who had harassed her in the past, but he denied any knowledge of her whereabouts. [4]

Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – Two Christian girls, little more than children, were kidnapped from their families recently, forcibly converted to Islam and then married off to strangers. Both of the kidnaps took place in Faisalabad, the third largest city in Pakistan, and both were completely ignored by the police. The phenomenon is not a new one however, underlined numerous human rights activist, but it is dangerously on the increase. On August 5 Muhammad Adnan, a Muslim from Zulfiqar colony Faisalabad and his sister kidnapped Zunaira, an eleven years old Christian girl from her home in Warispura. After the kidnap, they forced her to convert to Islam and marry her kidnaper Muhammad. In the second case Shumaila Tabussum, (16), was kidnapped from her home on August 16 by a Muslim man Mazher and some other unknown people. They told Shumaila that her father had been seriously injured in an accident and offered to accompany her to the hospital where he had been taken. The girl, without waiting for her mother, got into Mazher’s car: on the way she met two uncles at shouted the news of her father’s accident to them. These made their way to the hospital but found no-one. [5]

This is just what came up on top of Google. Clearly the perception of this is widespread. But, like so many reports in Pakistan, it's difficult to peel through the layers of charges and counter-charges. --Calan 23:59, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Christian missionaries are a greater problem?

This charge needs citation for factuality or be removed:

Christians are also the targets of Islamic missionaries seeking new converts to Islam. A greater problem, however, is the exploitation by Christian missionaries of the poor in Pakistan.

I'm aware that it is a frequent charge by Muslims against Christian missionaries but, in my observation, rarely with any facts given. I suspect the charge comes more out of an anti-Christian bias than from careful analysis. For starters, how many missionaries are even in Pakistan? Of those how many are proselytizing Muslims? I would guess that the number is very, exceedingly small, indeed.

I'm sure such things have happened -- especially during colonialism. But in the present tense, in a country that's + 95% Muslim with a stagnant Christian growth rate, it's hard to imagine that the problem of pressurized conversion of the poor is huge and widespread. Yet that is what the article charges. --Calan 23:48, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV problems

this is full of them —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.237.37.181 (talk) 04:21, 23 February 2008 (UTC)