Rescue, Rehabilitation Missions, Rescuing Girls

Forced Conversions And Marriages, A Weapon To Persecute Christians.

Today we are sharing another heart-breaking story from Last month’s rescue Mission. Farooq and Razia along with two daughters were living a life of a slave in the Brick Kiln in Pakistan.

Farooq was a laborer who worked on a daily wage. The family suffered greatly during the Corona Pandemic, and it was difficult for them to survive. After that, one of their relatives took them to the Kiln owner, who gave them 50,000 Pakistani rupees as a loan.

The next day the whole family went to Kiln and started working there. A year later Farooq Masih became paralyzed due to high blood pressure and the family borrowed more money for his treatment, but this put the family in a more disastrous situation.

When Farooq was unable to work, the kiln owner forced the family to marry off their daughter to an elderly Muslim man. The family tried to resist but the owner was powerful and took their daughter and married her to a Muslim friend.

It is important to understand that neither the kiln owner nor his friends did not wish to give these Christian girls proper status as wives. However, it is to satisfy their sexual desires. Marriage serves as a cover for any legal action that may be taken against them.

Listen to Razia Testimony.

When Razia was working alone in the brick kiln while her daughter was taking care of her father, the Kiln owner, and Manager both start forcing her to bring her daughter to work or marry her to a Muslim man.

To avoid further danger, Razia begins taking her daughter to the brickyard to make bricks. Meanwhile, the Owner, who wished to convert all Christian workers to Islam, aligned himself with Islamic radicals in order to attain Paradise.

On the other hand, the kiln owner’s pressure and harassment increased day by day. Now he visits Christian houses and forces them to learn Islamic Kalma. Those who refuse to comply are beaten and tortured by him.

Razia told us that she refused to accept Islam and told Kiln Owner that we are born Christians and will die as Christians. In anger, the kiln owner threatened her that if she failed to repay the debt, he would take her daughter and marry her to a Muslim.

Thanks to God, Razia, and her family were rescued from kiln slavery along with 17 other Christian families.

 Later we rescued Razia’s elder daughter Noreen who was 16 when she was forcibly married to a Muslim man. We have applied for the annulment of the marriage in the Local Court and hopefully, we will be successful in this legal battle.

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.