The Pakistan Parliament chose Red Wednesday – November 26th – to announce the first meeting of the Committee to Protect Minorities from Forced Conversion.
This may have been a coincidence, but many of us were praying that day for persecuted Christians. As the Archbishop of Canterbury said on the BBC – coincidences seem to happen when we pray.
Among the founding members of the committee is Mrs Shunila Ruth – a human rights advocate and the Church of Pakistan’s lay representative on ACC. She is a politician and a member of Tehreek–e–Insaf , the “Pakistan Movement for Justice” led by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Forced conversion to Islam has been identified as a major issue in Pakistan where 95% of the population is Muslim. Minorities are discriminated against in education, education and social rights. All of these levers have been used to force people of minority faiths to convert. Of special concern has been the forced marriage of girls under 18 to Muslim men, sometimes following rape. In such cases they are forced to convert.
Imran Khan has publicly spoken out against forced conversion claiming it is un-Islamic. He quoted a verse from the Quran ordering that there be “no compulsion in religion”. The Prime Minister pointed out that the Prophet Muhammad himself had given minorities religious freedom and protected their places of worship.
Mrs Shunila Ruth has long campaigned for religious freedom in Pakistan. She has combined this with activism for the rights of all women and girls. At times she has been subject to intimidation, but at the Anglican Peace and Justice Network meeting at ACC 17 in Hong Kong she spoke about a change in atmosphere in Pakistan. She is now able to take prominent role in pressing for religious freedoms.
There is a long way to go, but we continue to pray for our our sister and all those striving for justice with peace in Pakistan.