Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Geneva (Fides Service) - A detailed report on the case of Farah Hatim, the Catholic girl kidnapped and forcibly Islamized (see Fides 13/6/2011 and previous days), will be presented in the next few weeks at the UN Council for Human Rights in Geneva: the pool of non-governmental Organizations accredited to the UN Catholics confirm to Fides, that wish to report the case of abuse of human rights. The NGOs that have become active and the sponsors of the appeal are: "Dominicans for Justice and Peace" (an expression of the Dominican fathers); "Franciscans International" (an expression of the Franciscan Family), and "Pax Romana", founded by some U.S. Catholics. Once the report is complete and the official appeal to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is carried out, the NGO sponsors will try to expand the number of signatories, including other NGOs, Christians and non-Christians, giving greater force to the demand. When the report has been received, the High Commissioner must, by statute, open an official investigation. A positive opinion about the survey was given in recent days by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, permanent Observer of the Holy See's UN office in Geneva (see Fides 06/15/2011)
"This is a way of bringing to surface and showing the international community a case of violation of human rights and personal freedom that is emblematic: we are following this case with great attention through direct sources" Morse Flores, Director of Programs for Asia Pacific nell'Ong "Franciscans International" explains to Fides. Farah's case is one of about 700 cases which are officially registered each year, of girls kidnapped and converted, while many other cases remain hidden because they are not reported.
Meanwhile, Fides sources in Lahore report that Khalid Shaeen the politician of the Muslim League-N, who helped the young Muslim Zeehan Iliyas to kidnap Farah, and even hide her in his house, later resigned from public office (once
his involvement in the case emerged) is habitual: he was already involved in other such cases, having previously kidnapped two Muslim girls. Currently Farah’s family is in Islamabad, under the protection of the Federal Ministry of Harmony and Minorities, which in turn have started an investigation by contacting the local authorities in Rahim Yar Khan (southern Punjab), where the kidnapping took place, to get in direct contact with the girl in order to ascertain the will. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/25/2011)
