The Catholic girl who was kidnapped and forced to marry a Muslim receives judicial authorization to return to her parents’ home

Newsroom (December 27, 2021, 2:45 PM, Gaudium Press) Kidnapped in October 2020, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against her will, Arzoo Raja, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl, could finally return to live with her parents. The young girl had been in a social home for minors for more than a year.

In 2020, Arzoo Raja, only 13 years old, was kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam and marry Azhar Ali, a 44-year-old Muslim.

Just over a year after the event, the High Court of the city of Sindh, Pakistan, allowed the girl to return to her parents’ home.

The girl claims that her conversion to Islam was voluntary. Her parents have promised the court not to pressure her about her religious convictions. The Catholic community rejoiced with the court’s decision and thanked everyone for their support and prayers for the resolution of the case.

The Arzoo Raja case

The kidnapping occurred on October 13, 2020, when 44-year-old Ali Khazar and neighbor of the family kidnapped the 13-year-old girl. On the same day, Arzoo was forced to convert to Islam and marry the kidnapper.

With forged documents, the kidnapper showed that the girl was 18 years old and that the conversion and marriage were spontaneous on her part. However, the Sindh High Court, through investigations, ruled that the girl be taken into a social home.

The Court also upheld the child rape charges against the abductor, Ali Khazar. The crime of child rape, in Pakistan, is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty. (FM)

With Fides information.

Compiled by Zephania Gangl