Posted on 05/10/2004 12:11:17 PM PDT by ambrose
10 May, 2004
PAKISTAN
Forced conversion to Islam fatal for Christian boy
New incident reveals frightening trend
Lahore (AsiaNews/Ucan) - Outrage at the death of a Catholic boy forced to convert to Islam at the hands of torturous abductors has prompted the Pakistan Catholic Bishop's Commission of Justice and Peace, to take up the legal case. The Christian youth died of injuries inflicted by a teacher and students at an Islamic school. The National Commission for Justice and Peace declared May 4th that the incident reflects a worrying trend of forced conversions.
Javed Anjum, an 18-year-old commerce student was seized by a teacher and students of Jamia Hassan bin Almurtaza Madrasa (an Islamic religious school) on April 17th when he stopped for a drink of water at a nearby tap in Toba Tek Singh, 310 kilometres south of Islamabad. For five days he was tortured until his condition became so serious that the abusers took him to a police station, stating that he had been attempting to steal an electric water pump, and filed a charge of robbery against him. The boy was kept in police custody until April 24th, when he was finally taken for medical treatment. By that time, according to the Bishop's Commission investigation, it was too late to save him. Anjum died May 2nd, in a nearby Faisalabad hospital, of "renal failure", having also suffered broken ribs and loss of eyesight.
According to the Bishop's Commission, police refused to investigate the cause of Anjum's injuries, or the allegation against him. Chairman of the Commission, Peter Jacob said on May 7th that officials at the Islamic school tried to create an impression that Anjum was a drug addict, and now local Muslim political leaders are supporting and protecting the school. "It only shows how desperate and aware the perpetrators are of their crime and what they had done, that they tried through various allegations to cover it up."
The Bishop's Commission claimed, "Religious intolerance and discrimination is the reason behind the recent incidents where young non-Muslims were forcibly converted and circumcised." In November another Pakistan Catholic boy, 15-year-old Zeeshan Gill, was abducted by a Muslim classmate and forced to convert. He was threatened and beaten by Islamic clerics and made to attend religious classes at Madrasa Jamia al Qasim al Aloom, an Islamic boarding school. He eventually escaped from his captors, but he and his mother and brother have since been in hiding for fear of death.
Beyond its concern for justice in Anjum's case, the Church's commission urged the government of the Punjab province to "take long-term steps to root out religious hatred and take timely action against the perpetrators of hate crimes in accordance with the law."
"We appeal to the federal government to ensure equality of rights and opportunities, which is the only way to build a society based on justice, peace, and human rights," the commission's statement said.
The official teaching of Islam condemns forced conversions of others.
"Official" according to whom?
Only further proving the chasm that exists between what they (the Religion of Peace) say and what they do.
Well at least they didn't humiliate or embarass him -- that would just be intolerable. /sarcasm
Izzatso?
< /sarcasm >
"Condemnation" is no substitute for culture ruled by laws, laws that protect the rights of the individual from other individuals, groups, relgions and governments.
Islamic law may condemn this and that, but provides no process or equitable remedies.
Islam is the problem...THIS IS NOT THE WAR ON TERROR
Think store front holy roller church with no affiliations anywhere. 90% of Islam is exactly like that. Only the Shia have "clerics". The others have what amount to "lawyers", or experts in the Sharia Law. They can also be hired to give sermons. In Saudi they use the religious police to give sermons (a rather interesting peculiarity of Wahabism).
Other than that there are few ecclesiastical parallels between Christianity and Islam. FUR SHUR there's No Pope, No Cardinals, No Archbishops, No Bishops, No priests! There are, however, politicians. They run Shia and are called Ayatollahs. It's just like if Teddy Kennedy ran the Catholic church in Massachusetts!
So, be very quiet ~ he'd like that!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.