I
grew up in fear – every face around me depicted
nothing but fear. I am sure that the first expression on my parent’s face on my
birth as a female child born to Hindu parents living in Kandhkot would have
been that of fear also. Why did I bring so much fear into the lives of my parents?
I grew up always wondering what is it about me that continues to terrify. But I
always drew a blank. How naïve I was.
Before
I knew it, the time to attend school had arrived. School was comfortable;
however, there were times when I felt like an outsider, finding it difficult to
gel in with rest of the majority. Perhaps the snide remarks and incidents of
discrimination led me to believe that I am not one of ‘them’. Of those
incidents, I still vividly remember no one eating with me and refusing to sip
from the cup I drank from.
Home wasn’t very different either. My mother asked questions
about my life at school and otherwise looking for answers that would somehow
relinquish her from the unknown fear. Afraid to disappoint her, I realized very
early in my life that my mother could not be my confidant.
Growing
up was not easy.
And
then it happened. The fears of my mother and many Hindu mothers like her materialized.
I went out to one of the largest markets of Kandhkot and was abducted by a man
I knew very well. He was none other than the guard who was responsible for
safeguarding our temples.
Knowing
his face well prompted me to sit with him in his car without protest, however,
instead of taking me to my house he turned to an alley that I wasn’t too
familiar with. Scared and unsure about what lay ahead I started screaming just
to hear my abductor scream louder and threaten me. Astonished and unable to
comprehend the gravity of the situation I sat still until it was time to step
out of the car to a small house which looked abandoned.
We
entered the house to find a large room devoid of any furniture and other
bearings except for a carpet that covered the floor. I was made to sit down on
the floor.
Uncertain about what was going to happen to me; my mind raced
with thoughts of the recent news of the abductions and forced conversions of
Hindu girls. I sat there shuddering. The realization struck me and I could see
my entire life in front of me in kaleidoscope. My mother’s fears, my father’s
warnings, the alienation I felt, the yearning to be a part of the circle of
friends, the search for a confidant, a friend.
My worst fears were reaffirmed when a man wearing a turban entered
the room to teach me about a religion which I grew up hearing about, however,
felt no urge to practice or embrace. He kept sermonizing me for hours but was
unable to get me to listen to him, realizing that he left asking me to ponder
about the true religion.
His departure did not ignite any fire for eternal glory inside me
but only made me wonder why did my parents not relocate to another country when
they had the chance to do so? Why did they continue to live in fear waiting for
the inevitable to happen instead of making a move to safer pastures? And, what
made me think that I am any different from countless girls who are forced to
change their faith?
Each
passing day appeared to be more and more surreal. The ritual of preaching
continued for days, I lost track. Eventually, when preaching did not do the
trick, my abductor threatened me.
The
routine ranging from threats to persuasion and from glorifying the paradise to
the wrath of God for non-believers only made me wonder: Do we not all pray to
the same God — a God who is manifested in nature, colors, happiness and love?
Why would he punish me for being a Hindu?
Somewhere
along this relentless persuasion, came that horrifying threat of harming my
family – I gave in. My approval followed a small ceremony in which I was forced
to embrace Islam and later married off to the man who will always be remembered
as the ‘messiah’ who for saved me from the unknown territory of sin and
infidelity I was treading on.
After
the ceremony, instead of receiving blessings for a happy and prosperous life
ahead, I was immediately escorted to a local court where a Muslim magistrate
declared my conversion and marriage in accordance with the law.
The
news of my conversion and marriage to a Muslim man spread like wildfire. I
dreaded the moment of meeting my parents. I never wanted to see pain and agony
on their faces let alone be the reason for all their grief. Sure enough, one
look at my mother made me yearn for my own death.
I
wanted to tell her that I love her and that her safety was all I had in mind
when I converted. I wanted to tell my father to keep my sisters safe. I wanted
to tell my brothers to leave the country whilst they still could. I wanted to
say much more but their silent pain and suffering made me wish if only I wasn’t
born a girl, if only I wasn’t born in Pakistan, if only I had the right to be
myself and practise my faith without being herded into a religion that I failed
to comprehend, if only I could make them all understand that there is just one
God for all, if only I could give us all an identity that we rightly deserve.
Looking
at all the faces that once seemed familiar; I wondered: who am I?
I
am one but share the pain of many. I am Rachna Kumari, Rinkle Kumari, Manisha
Kumari and the many more Hindu girls who will be forced to convert in Pakistan.
I am the fear of their families and the agony that they undergo. I am the
misery of those girls who die a little every day for the injustices done to
them.
I
am a minority living in an intolerant society.
Pakistan has lost any meaning as a country . Humans are everything but the humans. Thanks God that she wasn't raped. Hindus over there are most courageous people on earth.
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