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A Christian woman who was kidnapped, forced to marry a Muslim farmer and pressured to convert to Islam recently escaped and returned home after weeks of "captivity and torture." Sania James (33) was kidnapped on April 5 by armed men who stormed her parents' house in the small town of Rawat, Pakistan. The gunmen allegedly told her father that he would see his daughter again only if he paid back his loan of 250,000 rupees (approximately $3,040 CAD) plus 30 percent interest, though they had previously agreed upon a rate of 15 percent. The armed men then took her to her father's employer, Mohammad Shahbaz Ali, and forced her to marry him. She was continuously tortured when she refused to convert to Islam. Faraz Samson, a local pastor, said of the situation, "I am shocked that a daughter of a poor man has been kidnapped, and the law can’t do anything." (Source: Compass Direct)
Thank God for Sania's return home. Ask Him to heal and restore her, and keep her and her family safe. Pray that authorities will do all they can to uphold the rights of Christian women in Pakistan, as they are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
To learn more about the suffering of Christians in Pakistan, visit the Pakistan Country Report.
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