In the Islamic State of Pakistan, 60 impoverished Hindus belonging to the Dalit community from the Sindh province of Pakistan converted to Islam so that they could get their freedom and debts waived off.
As per reports, all the Hindus who live in constant fear were forced to embrace Islam as they worked as bonded labourers for wealthy Muslim landlords and in return were assured of their freedom from molestation and debt waivers, if they embraced Islam.
A 58-second video uploaded by Abdul Rauf Nizamani, the chairman of the Municipal Committee in Matli in Badin district of Pakistan has now gone viral.
At least 59 Hindu peasants who were members of the lower caste Hindu community were invited by the landlord, whose agricultural land they have been cultivating for years, to convert to Islam in exchange for protection and economic support. pic.twitter.com/5GjBSGckOj
— Daily Scoop TV (@DailyScoopTV1) July 12, 2021
In that video, one can see and hear a Muslim cleric preaching a group of Hindus about Islam and reciting the “kalma” or the Islamic oath of allegiance.
Rauf has also posted a comment, which reads “Alhamdulilah, aj mere niggrain me 60 log musalman hu hai ink lie due karen (Alhamdulilah, today 60 people have embraced Islam under my supervision, please pray for them).
However, the Pakistani Hindu Member National Assembly (MNA) doesn’t see anything being ‘forced’ in the conversion of these sixty Hindus.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s MNA and Pakistan Hindu Council’s Patron-in-chief, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, said that forced conversion was a different issue.
“I describe forced conversion as when a minor girl is abducted and presented in a madrassa and later told that the girl has converted to Islam and you have no link with her,” he said.
He further added that it was possible that the Hindus could have been impressed with the teachings of Islam or that they may have been greedy for money.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.