Kalash girl says nobody forced her to convert to Islam

CHITRAL: Rubbishing the reports about her forcible change of religion, the Kalash girl at the centre of controversy said here Friday that nobody forced her to convert to Islam.

Speaking at a press conference along with her parents and other relatives, Reena insisted that she became a Muslim of her own free will.She said that some people had spread rumours that she had reverted to her Kalash parents’ religion and this became the cause of tension between the followers of Islam and Kalash.

“No one bothered to confirm the rumours that resulted in a tense situation in the area. Before starting agitation I should have been contacted about the rumours,” she maintained.

Reena, a ninth class student, said the Kalash women’s conversion to Islam was not a new phenomenon as many had become Muslim before her. She expressed concern over the reaction to the rumours that had caused fear and panic among the Kalash community.

She condemned the attack on a Kalash home and asked the protesters to remain calm and peaceful.Speaking on the occasion, Sher Muhammad, the Qazi of Kalash community and Behram Shah said that Muslims andKalash had been living peacefully in the valley for centuries. 

There were reports that on Thursday Muslims had gathered to stage protest outside the house of Kalash family in Bamburet valley following rumours that Reena was present there and was reverting to the religion of the Kalash people. The protestors had thrown stones at the house.

The Kalash people, numbering about 4,000, live in 12 villages in three Chitral valleys - Bamburet, Rumbur and Birir - and follow certain rituals that are animist in nature. The number of the Kalash people is dwindling due to conversions to Islam.