Christian Mother and Wife Kidnapped and Married to Muslim Man Without Her Consent as Disturbing Trend Continues in Pakistan
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A Pakistani Christian mother and wife was abducted on February 25th and forced into marriage with a Muslim and was only restored to her family after her husband called the police and threatened to light himself on fire.
Naveed and Saima Iqbal, who live in New Iqbal Town in Islamabad, await a decision by a Pakistani court to nullify her marriage to Muhammad Khalid Sati, a Muslim man who was arrested on March 5th.
“I will fight until I get justice,” said Mr. Iqbal, who has been married to his wife for 15 years and has appealed to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, as well as the Chief Justice about the legitimacy of a marriage ratified without his or his wife’s consent.
Often used as a tool for converting Christian and Hindu women under the auspices of Islamic law, forced marriage remains a problem in Pakistan, where an estimated 700 Christian women are kidnapped and coerced into marrying Muslim men every year, according to a 2014 report from the Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan.
Between 3,000 to 4,000 Pakistani believers have fled conditions in their home country, which has the highest rating for violence against believers in Open Doors U.S.A.’s score system for persecution, and now await refugee status from the UN in neighboring Thailand.