#JusticeForArzooRaja

 

Arzoo Raja, a 14-year-old, Christian girl was abducted from Karachi. She forcefully converted her religion to Islam by a 44-year-old man who later married her without consent. This is one of the many occurrences where the minority group has been forced to convert to Islam. It is wrong on so many levels but mainly, this heinous crime is against the values of Islam and the law of Pakistan. The girl in question is only 13 years old and forged documentation was presented in the court to prove that she was 18 years old which made the court uphold the forced marriage. The latest update is that the girl is forced to live with the kidnapper and the parents are seeking justice for their daughter.

I have seen a lot of posts related to this case and I truly believe that social media has the power to bring real change. One of the posts that garnered my attention was this:

I am not an expert on explaining Islam but I have read the Quran with translation a few times and I yearn to learn more about the religion to learn more about my religion. With the little knowledge that I have attained, I would like to defend Islam in the cases of coerced conversions and underage, forced marriages. Our religion is perfect and any external deficiencies should never imply that there is a loophole in Islam.

As we preside towards making Pakistan Riyasate Madina, it is very important to remember the core values of our religion. In Surah Baqrah, verse number 256, the commandment regarding forceful conversions is very clear:

"There is no compulsion in religion"

It is very important to educate the masses regarding the level of tolerance and patience that Islam has prescribed for the believers. Most of the illiterate people are oblivious to this side of the religion and that is causing such incidents. It is negatively affecting the image of Islam and its core values. Why don't the religious scholars educate people about tolerance regarding other religions in Islam?

"And if your Lord had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed, all of them; will you then force men till they become believers?" (10:99)

The concept of marriage is very clear in Islam. There are a few conditions for a woman to get married and one of them is attaining puberty. If a girl is married before attaining puberty, she has the right to revoke the marriage after she gains puberty. It is prohibited to consummate the marriage without the woman's consent too. However, in this case, the girl has been forcefully converted and married without her consent and the absence of her parents. The girl is always given away in marriage by her wali who is usually a male relative. According to the Islamic jurisprudence (The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Vol. VIII, p. 27, Leiden 1995), if the girl is non-Muslim then she will be given away in marriage from someone of her religion. Therefore, in this case, the wali was not only absent but also invalid. Arzoo Raja's marriage to an older man is not subjected to Islamic legislation. 

As per Islamic values, the man in question is punishable and condemned. There should be no doubt that Islam does not endorse such values and acts of violence. There is no space for coercion in Islam, whether it is about religion or marriage. Arzoo Raja has been subjected to both. As a true Muslim and student of Islam, I demand justice for Arzoo Raja. She should be freed and the case should be rectified seriously.

Raise your voice today so that the minorities of this country could be safeguarded by the values of Islam.