I converted to Islam, says Pak Kalash girl

ISLAMABAD: Peace returned to Bumburet Valley of northern Pakistan on Saturday after a girl from the minority Kalash community, who was at the centre of a row over

ISLAMABAD: Peace returned to Bumburet Valley of northern Pakistan on Saturday after a girl from the minority Kalash community, who was at the centre of a row over forced conversions, said she had embraced Islam of her own free will.

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Reena was at the centre of a storm in the Chitral region earlier this week as Muslims and members of the animist Kalash community clashed over what was seen by many as the girl’s forced conversion by religious groups.

However, Reena appeared in a district office and said in a statement before a magistrate that she had converted to Islam on her own. She also told a news conference she had converted after reading books on Islam and after consulting her family members, many of whom were Muslims. Earlier this week, Reena’ s parents had invited her to their home but this resulted in fighting between local residents as some Muslims feared she was being pressured into taking back her decision to convert. The clash between the two groups became very intense and police intervened with rubber bullets and tear gas. Members of the Kalash community said they were attacked by hundreds of Muslims and it was the police who helped save their lives.

The issue of conversion is a sensitive one as hundreds of Kalash had embraced Islam in the past few years, local journalist Mukhamuddin said.