The Qur’an says “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256). However, what constitutes “compulsion” is in the eye of the beholder. The institutionalized subjugation of the dhimma, with its regular humiliation and harassment, from which one can be freed for the simple price of converting to Islam, is not considered compulsion. Remember Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, the journalists who were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam — even though their conversions were obviously coerced, their captors made them say that they were converting freely, and the captors probably believed that themselves. After all, the journos could have chosen to be killed instead.
“Christians Tortured, Forced to Recite Islamic Creed in Pakistan,” Morning Star News, February 1, 2024:
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – An Islamist cleric presided over the forced conversion of two Christians in Sialkot District, Pakistan after they were tortured into reciting the Islamic conversion creed, sources said.
Azam Masih, 28, and his brother, Nadeem Masih, were abducted, beaten with iron rods and pressured to convert to Islam on Jan. 22 in the Kotli Loharan area, said Adil Ghauri, chairman of the Masihi Baidari Tehreek or Movement for Christian Awakening.
Azam Masih was working at his tailoring shop in the Kharota Syedan market when Naseem Shah and accomplices held him at gunpoint and forcibly took him to the house of another suspect, Sunny Shah, Ghauri said.
“The assailants accused Azam of patronizing ‘wrongdoings’ in the area and started beating him with iron rods,” Ghauri told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, adding that the suspects later abducted his younger brother, brought him to the house and subjected him to the same torture. “The accused then forced the two Christians to recite the Kalima [proclamation of Islamic conversion] if they wanted to save their lives, threatening to kill them if they refused. The tortured brothers had no choice but to surrender to this demand.”
The suspects also recorded a video statement of the two brothers in which they were forced to say that they were converting to Islam of their own free will, Ghauri said. He added that the assailants also snatched mobile phones and other belongings from the two brothers before releasing them.
The rights activist said the brothers and their impoverished Christian family chose to keep silent about the ordeal, as the suspects had warned them against contacting police.
“We came to know about this incident on Jan. 24 and immediately contacted the family,” Ghauri said. “After much persuasion, we were able to convince the family to file a First Information Report [FIR] with the police, as keeping silent would have only encouraged the perpetrators to target more Christians living in the village.”
More than 300 Christian families are settled there, he added.
Kotli Loharan police arrested a Muslim cleric alleged to have conducted the conversion and registered charges against the suspects of kidnapping, punishable by death or life imprisonment; theft with intention to cause injury or death, punishable by up to 10 years in prison; threatening death or grievous injury, punishable by up to seven years in prison; causing injury to extort a confession, punishable by up to 10 years in prison; and acts committed by several persons in furtherance of common intention.
The suspects, Naseem Shah and Sunny Shah, have criminal backgrounds and have been involved in inciting hatred against Christians, Ghauri said.
“This is not the first time Christians have been targeted in that area,” Ghauri said. “In fact, after the Aug. 16, 2023 attacks in Jaranwala, at least two-three attempts were made to stir religious tension by throwing torn pages of the Quran near Christian homes. Had the police and district administration taken timely action against the perpetrators of those incidents, this incident could have been prevented.”…
Photo By Shahzad Ali, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57538225
Walter Sieruk says
This forced “profession of faith” in Islam reveals that there has to be something wrong with a religion that, even in modern times, requires that its followers use savage murderous violence of brutal force against people who are of another faith, In case Christians.
The violent and deadly might is used to oppose Christian’s does reveal that the religion of Islam doesn’t have an rational any sound Bible based reasons to uphold it. Likewise, such cruel malicious violence engaged in by jihad-minded Muslims further shows that a firm belief in Islam isn’t based on reason or logic but instead malice-filled emotions and murderous feelings of hate.
The bloody violent and deadly essence of Islam against Christians, and people of other religions as Judaism. Is seen in the instructions found in the Qu ran. For example in Surah 9:123 it reads “O you who believe ! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you and let them find harshness in you…”
Ade Fegan says
While meanwhile in the UK ..
we dopes fly the Pakistan flag and celebrate Pakistan day
Goofy says
I am here to learn.
In case that a Christian under the threat of death recites the Shahada, has he by that fact become a Muslim “believer”?
If that is the case I would like to know how the concept of “faith” is understood in Islam. I have the notion that it is all about total submission and nobody really cares about your “faith”. Is that true?
Is the forcefully converted is considered a Muslim after uttering the Shahada in broken Arabic, does that mean that leaving this barbaric so-called religion is considered apostasy and that the person in question for good measure risks to be murdered?
abu taleb says
Once you have said the shahada, then you become a muslim. That is the Islam concept. No need for faith because Islam only needs submission, not faith.
Muhammad’s cousin, Abu Sufyan had not believed in Islam, but he was given two options, his neck or becoming a muslim. He chose becoming a muslim to save his neck, and no muslim including Muhammad questioned his Islamic belief. He was just needed to become obedient and a fighter in robbery and looting.
CardanoCrusader says
The Muslim shahadah is no different than a Christian professing Jesus Christ with his mouth and believing in his heart in the resurrection. Same idea in both instances. In fact, there are many, many similarities between Martin Luther’s idea of how Christianity should work and Mohammed’s idea of how Islam should work. Luther apparently stole a lot of his theology from the Muslims invading Europe at the time.
somehistory says
You only “become a mozlum” if you **want to become a mozlum**. Saying something that is untrue remains untrue no matter how many times one may say it.
mozlums take the saying as that one is really then tied to islam and will be murdered if they renounce it, say something about it they don’t want said which, to them, is apostasy.
somehistory says
They may have said what the ghouls forced upon them, but they did not become mozlum.
Just as Peter, out of fear of what would happen to him, “denied” Jesus three times, but did not become His murderer, these men did not become mozlum.
The God Christians worship, serve and love, reads the hearts and knows those who belong to Him and His Son.
FYI says
A professon of rejection of the islamic “faith”
I reject allah -hubaal mainly due to his proven lack of omniscience {which is clear from allah’s Theology error of koran 5:116{Pickthall}where he laughably insists Chrisians worship THREE gods one of whom he insists is… MARY}and also his scientific and historical ignorance.
I reject allah-hubaal for his VIOLATION of the Laws of Moses especially the 2 chief commandments given in that Law:there is no LOVE in islam.
I reject al walaa wal baraa,islam’s HATE Doctrine as EVIL
I reject allah’s classification of infidels as “the WORST of created beings” koran 98:6
I reject the beating and raping of womwn which allah allows in islam.
I reject allah and his evil cult because allah is the one mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:4
tim gallagher says
Preaching the evil, barbaric islamic message in the usual evil Muslim way. Torture, bullying, slaughtering people. The usual islamic garbage. That’s all that islam has ever been about. It has got nothing else. Nothing but evil filth. Anything decent or noble and islam are complete strangers. islam should be banned since it trashes so many basic human rights.
T.jefferson says
Disarmed populations are easy b targets for the demonic idealist to reign murder on all infidels.
somehistory says
Contrast this account, and the one from Nigeria and the one from Sudan with a different one from Britain.
“‘I refuse to be complicit in baptism dishonesty’”
This is an account from a priest in the U.K. who has seen males from Syria and other mozlum nations coming to the church where a mozlum male approaches the vicar demanding the other moslums be baptized…and they give the mozlum money. Many photos are taken, and these immediately show up on facebook. for ‘hey, look at me’
A couple of days later, an immigration attorney wants the priest to give evidence of the mozlums attending church, doing evangelizing, helping out, etc.
This is happening all over where the asylum seekers are being placed by the government. They have been turned down, but seek documentation from the churches that they are now Christians….which they are not. It’s a sham and people…mozlums….are making money.
The article has a lot more to it. The authorities should be interested.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/i-refuse-to-be-complicit-in-baptism-dishonesty/ar-BB1hZUuT?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=2c82ed1224f74eb1ac9bbaf39d812a37&ei=15
John Forbes says
Nothing surprises me with this vicious cult!