In October 2022, 14-year-old Christian girl Sara Rasheed was abducted, assaulted, and forcibly converted to Islam by Abdul Sattar. Assailants entered her home, beating her father unconscious and kidnapping her. Sara was subsequently forced to convert to Islam and to marry one of her abductors. Sara endured daily sexual abuse and beatings.
Her father made desperate attempts to bring his daughter back. He went to the police, but they told him that since his daughter had converted to Islam and was now married, he no longer had any claim over her. Lacking the funds to hire a lawyer, he felt helpless. Voice for Justice stepped in to cover the legal fees and provide support.
In Pakistan, when a Christian girl is forcibly converted to Islam, the system often turns against her family, making the legal battle feel like swimming against the current. Lawyers, judges, and police are frequently reluctant to help, viewing it as a religious duty to protect the Muslim “husband” and uphold the girl’s new faith rather than support her Christian family. They become blinded to the fact that she might be abducted, treathened and abused.
