http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=161393By Michael Carl
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A 33-year-old women has returned to her home in Pakistan following what she has described as weeks of "captivity and torture" that resulted when she allegedly was kidnapped and forced into a marriage.
According to Compass Direct, Sania James returned home recently but observers suggest that she – and her family – may be forced to leave Pakistan for their own safety.
James' ordeal began April 5 when a band of armed men entered her family's home in the rural village of Rawat, only a few miles from Rawalpindi. They took her to the home of Muhammad Shahbaz Ali, her father's employer.
International Christian Concern's Jonathan Racho says James was forced to marry Ali but refused to renounce her Christian faith.
"This is a clear case of kidnapping and forceful abduction. Sania was forced physically to marry Ali but she courageously resisted and refused to convert to Islam," Racho stated.
Racho said the abduction was to allegedly settle a debt James' father, James Ayub, owed Ali.
"Sania's father James Ayub used to work for Muhammad Shahbaz Ali. Sania's father allegedly borrowed some money from Ali to pay for his oldest daughter's wedding. When he couldn't pay back the loan, Ali forcibly married Ayub's daughter," Racho explained.
A source in Pakistan who asked not to be identified said neighbors who watched the kidnapping were unable to assist James.
Racho said the practice of forcible marriage and conversion is common in Pakistan.
"It's very common. The forced conversion is one of the strategies for Islamization. It's one of their strategies for Muslims in Pakistan. What happened to Sania is not an isolated case at all. It's part of the greater strategy pursued by Muslims in Pakistan," Racho observed.
"And it's not only in Pakistan. It also happens in Egypt where Christian girls are forcefully abducted and forced to marry Muslim men and forced to convert to Islam. It happens in other Islamic countries too and it's very heartbreaking," Racho explained.
Racho isn't sure kidnapping is an official government policy, but it's still commonplace in rural areas.
"For many Muslims, especially Muslims who follow the radical teachings, it's normal to practice forceful kidnapping and forceful marriage. It's common out in the country," Racho explained.
"It is a practice that is freely practiced in Islamic societies," Racho continued.
While it's not necessarily a feature of Islamic law, a human rights activist who asked not to be named said Muslims who practice forced marriage are simply following in the steps of the prophet Muhammad.
"We know that at least one of Muhammad's wives was just a child – minor. She was taken and forced to marry Muhammad when she was six years old. Muhammad waited until she was nine to consummate the marriage, but she was still just a child," the source explained.
"Many Muslims follow the example set by Muhammad so they frequently marry minor girls," the source said.
Robert Spencer wrote in the Sept. 18, 2009, edition of Front Page Magazine that a 12-year-old Yemeni girl who was forced into a marriage died during child birth. The baby also died.
In the same article, Spencer said the practice of child brides is widespread in the Islamic world.
The London Times reported March 8, 2008, that many British-Pakistani girls are tricked into forced marriage, many of them when they are in their teens.
When asked about the kidnapping and escape, Compass Direct reported that Ali refused to answer any questions.
Racho tells WND that for safety, James and her family's only alternative may be to leave Pakistan.
Topic: Woman escapes from forced marriage (Read 2295 times)