From temple to shrine: Forced conversions?

Published October 31, 2012
From temple to shrine

In September of this year, Dawn.com got a chance to visit the shrines and temples of Reharki — a city located in the Ghotki District of upper Sindh, which is home to a sizable Muslim community, as well as a Hindu minority.

The Sant Satram Das Temple, is overlooked by multiple statues of Hindu deities and is located close to the Bharchundi Sharif Shrine.

The shrine is a Sufi centre with a madrassah that has been mentioned in the media in connection with a high number of alleged forced conversions of members from the Hindu community in the area, the most notable of which is the Rinkle Kumari case.

The administrators of the madrassah, including the local MNA Mian Abdul Haq also known as “Mian Mitho” maintain that the conversions are not forced, but a result of the individual’s own choice and convertees approach the shrine as a safe haven in cases where their family doesn’t approve of their conversion.

We got a chance to speak to members of the Hindu Community as well as a Hindu girl, Kiran Kumari, who maintained that she willingly converted to Islam on Eidul Fitr, while others contend that her conversion was not consensual.

In our visit, we spoke to people on both sides of the issue in order to get a clearer picture of the story.

  • Video by  Zehra Naqvi and Salman Haqqi/Dawn.com

Opinion

GB’s lost hope

GB’s lost hope

Given the need for democratic and accountable governance in GB, the quest for a provisional province warrants immediate attention.

Editorial

Dangerous times
Updated 14 Feb, 2025

Dangerous times

Pakistan accounted for six journalist killings in 2024, of which three were deliberately murdered, according to the CPJ.
Difficult target
14 Feb, 2025

Difficult target

A ONE-two punch delivered by an unforeseen, sharp dip in inflation and an extremely slim base of taxpayers is...
Amazing show
14 Feb, 2025

Amazing show

PAKISTAN’S ability to turn it up at the flick of a switch remains uninhibited. The latest show came in...
Trump’s folly
Updated 13 Feb, 2025

Trump’s folly

This latest pronouncement only reinforces the fears of those who see the plan as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing.
Corruption ranking
13 Feb, 2025

Corruption ranking

IT comes as little surprise. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024, unveiled on...
Support from remittances
13 Feb, 2025

Support from remittances

EVEN though workers’ remittances dipped, albeit negligibly, in January on a month-over-month basis, the earnings...