Once upon a time, Hinduism was one of the top three religions in modern
Pakistan, together with Buddhism and Sikhism. After the independence of
Pakistan in 1947, the majority of Hindus left for India. Those that
remained and their descendants now make up a tiny fraction of Pakistan -
estimated 190 million citizens, mostly concentrated in Sindh province in the
southern part of the country.
This definitely is what we can call a religious minority. Nowadays, the
main concern of this “forgotten community” is one and simple: to stay alive. To
preserve its traditions, its culture, its values, its integrity. The
Hindus in Pakistan happen to be from the less privileged economic castes of
society: this is the main reason why they are more vulnerable to
discrimination, both by unjust laws and abuse of state policies, as well as
through social behaviors.
Recently, there have been several cases of forced conversions,
where Hindu girls were forced to marry influential Muslim men and subsequently
were asked to change their religion. According to the BBC, “every year in
Pakistan, several hundred young Christian or Hindu girls are forcibly converted
to Islam, and sometimes married off. The growing radicalization in the country
is making life increasingly hard for the 10% of non Muslim Pakistanis - and
they have little recourse in the face of violence.”
A report from the Movement for Solidarity and Peace states that about
1000 non-Muslim girls are converted to Islam each year by abduction and
mandatory marriages. This number is very approximate because a large
majority of the crimes go unreported.
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