The religious parties in Sindh that are agitating against the passage of a law passed last month which bars the conversion to any other religion of a person under the age of 18 years have obviously not familiarised themselves with the long tradition of protection granted to minorities living in an Islamic state – beginning since the times of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). The Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities Bill) 2015 was moved by an opposition member from the PML-F and intends to protect young Hindu girls from being forcibly converted to Islam through marriage. The problem has persisted in Sindh for years and Hindu activist groups claim thousands of girls, some as young as 12 have fallen victim to it over the past decade. During the Sindh Assembly discussion on the new law the names of specific clerics engaged in this practice were mentioned. There are speculations that they may have urged the series of meetings held by the JUI-F, and joined in by the JI as well as other religious groups, to oppose the law as ‘un-Islamic’ and warned the Sindh Assembly would be laid siege to if the law was allowed to stand.
On Friday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in a press conference staunchly defended the law and said the concerns raised by religious groups would be addressed. He pointed out that these groups had always been among those opposed to the PPP in the first place. Days after the bill was adopted by the Sindh Assembly, a JI member of the National Assembly had on a point of order insisted that the law went against the foundations on which Pakistan was based as an Islamic state since there was no provision in the Shariah which barred those under age from converting. PPP members in the House defended the law as being crucial to protect Hindus in Sindh – and the debate carries on. The political parties that unanimously backed the law need to continue to speak out and recognise that altering social mindsets is a process they need to actively participate in so that laws are not merely ‘passed’ but also implemented.
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