Global News - Redeem the Oppressed

Another underage Christian girl, who was abducted, converted and married a Muslim man in Pakistan

Farah Shaheen, a 12-year-old girl, was allegedly abducted by 45-year-old Khizer Ahmad Ali, who forcibly converted to Islam and married her.

The incident took place on June 25 in Ahmedabad, Faisalabad but on September 19, 2020, the first Information Report (FIR) was lodged at the local police station, after a long delay.

Farah Shaheen’s brother Afzal Masih stated that Khizer Ali came with Muhammad Zahid, a man who owned tent services on the ground floor of his residence, and kidnapped Farah.

At her crying, Farah’s brother Afzal and her uncle Kashif reached there but the kidnappers dragged her in a car and fled. So far, the police have failed to provide justice to the family.

Farrukh Saif, the International Director of ECSPE said kidnapping of young Christian and Hindu girls has become a daily occurrence. “We have been working on such cases since 2011 and it has been found that only registered cases have come to the notice of the public but most cases have not been registered due to pressure from Islamic scholars and the police,” he added When a complaint or parent goes to the police to register such incidents, the police treat them rudely and threaten them severely.

By Farrukh Saif

Farrukh Saif is a Pakistani human rights activist based in Germany. He founded his own organization, the Farrukh Saif Foundation (FSF), in 2009 with the goal of supporting marginalized and oppressed minorities in Pakistan who are affected by religious discrimination, blasphemy laws, forced conversions, abductions, rape, and bonded slavery. The main focus of the FSF is on the liberation of bonded laborers, particularly those working in brick kilns in rural areas of Pakistan. In 2018, the FSF merged with the US-based Emergency Committee to Save the Persecuted and Enslaved. Throughout his career, Farrukh has been a leading voice for the rights of minorities in Pakistan and has gained international attention for his campaigns against the misuse of blasphemy laws and the belief that asylum is not a crime. In 2014, he played a key role in the release of hundreds of asylum seekers from Thai jails and has worked with his legal team to save numerous victims of strict blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Farrukh has also been invited by the Hungarian government to discuss his work and the issues he addresses. In addition to his work with the FSF, Farrukh has also been involved in various other humanitarian efforts, including providing health care services to internally displaced persons in Khayber Pakhtoon Khawa in 2009 and assisting flood victims in Sindh and Punjab in 2010. He has worked to aid victimized minorities in Pakistan and has a strong track record of successfully advocating for their rights. Farrukh joined forces with Keith Davies in 2018 to co-found the Emergency Committee to Save The Persecuted and Enslaved, and since 2009, they have collectively successfully rescued more than 36000 individuals from slavery and persecution.