(CBN News) A teenage girl in Pakistan who was kidnapped in 2019, converted to Islam against her will, and was forcibly married to an older man, was rescued earlier this year and reunited with her family.
Joel Veldkamp, international communications officer for Christian Solidarity International (CSI), a Christian human rights organization, recently told Faithwire about Sadaf Khan’s tragic story — as well as her harrowing rescue.
“In February 2019, Sadaf was 14 years old and she was abducted from her home. She just disappeared. Her parents had no idea where she went,” Veldkamp explained. “And then … they got a notification from the police, ‘By the way, your daughter converted to Islam and now she’s married to a man who is much much older than she is.’” Sadaf’s parents, who are Christians in the Muslim-majority country, immediately fought back against the horrific news, hired a lawyer and took the man who had married their daughter to court. The teen showed up fully veiled and disallowed from speaking with her mom and dad. Despite being unable to see her facial expressions during the proceedings, they knew she was visibly uncomfortable and in “so much fear.” Veldkamp said the situation for Christians in Pakistan is anything but just, as Bible-believers are treated as “second-class citizens,” especially in situations in which people have been forcibly converted to Islam. Listen to Veldkamp tell Sadaf’s tragic story: