In 2001 the
Indonesian army evacuated hundreds of Christian refugees from the remote
Kesui and
Teor islands in
Maluku (province) after the refugees stated that they had been forced to convert to Islam. According to reports, some of the men had been circumcised against their will, and a paramilitary group involved in the incident confirmed that circumcisions had taken place while denying any element of coercion.
[53]
In 2004
Coptic Christians in
Egypt occupied the main Coptic cathedral in
Cairo for several days, angry at the disappearance of a priest's wife in a village in the
Nile delta, who have been forced to convert to Islam. The
BBC reported that allegations of forced conversions of Copts to Islam surface every year in Egypt.
[54]
In August 2006 two journalists,
Steve Centanni and
Olaf Wiig, were kidnapped by
Holy Jihad Brigades in
Gaza City, and were apparently forced to convert to
Islam at gunpoint. The Palestinian news service Ramattan and Fox News reported that they were released unharmed shortly after the release of a new video.
[55] In the video, both journalists, wearing beige robes, read statements saying that they had converted to Islam, with Centanni stating "Islam is not just meant for some people; it is the true religion for all people at all times."
[55] After being freed, Steve Centanni stated, "We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, and don't get me wrong here, I have the highest respect for Islam, and learned a lot of very good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do, because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."
[55]
It was reported in February 2007 that Hindu and Sikh organisations in the UK believe that young women of these faiths are being coerced by young men they meet at university into converting to Islam. The chief of the
Metropolitan Police,
Sir Ian Blair attended a conference where the allegations were made. A spokeswoman for the police said: "We are aware of it as an issue that concerns the Hindu community but are not aware, without further research, of any specific incidents reported to police. We would encourage anyone who has been targeted in this way to seek help."
[56]
In May 2007, members of the Christian community of
Charsadda in the
North West Frontier Province of
Pakistan, close to the border of
Afghanistan, reported that they had received letters threatening bombings if they did not convert to Islam, and that the police were not taking their fears seriously.
[57]
There have been numerous reports of Islamic attempts to forcibly convert religious minorities in Iraq. In Baghdad, Christians have been told to convert to Islam, pay the
jizya or die.
[58][59][60] In March 2007 the BBC reported that people in the
Mandaean religious minority in
Iraq alleged that they were being targeted by
Islamist insurgents, who offered them the choice of conversion or death.
[61]
On
October 2009 it was reported that Muslim groups in the
Indian state of
Kerala have been engaging in a "
Love Jihad", whereby
Muslim men were trained to
seduce college-going
Hindu and
Christian girls to marry them and forcibly convert to Islam.
[62] Both Hindu and Catholic Christian groups in the state expressed alarm at this trend and have been working together to protest this trend. The
High Court in the state has resolved to probe the matter. The primary Islamic group currently being held responsible for this is the
Islamic extremist front
Popular Front of India, a conglomeration of radical Islamist groups disguised as civil rights groups that are dedicated to implementing
Islamic Sharia law in Hindu majority India.
[63] The Catholic Church in Kerala has joined up with Hindu groups in order to combat this trend.
[64] Such cases of "Love Jihad" have reportedly started to occur in the neighboring state of
Karnataka as well.
[64]
In Pakistan, Hindus have been forcefully converted to Islam ever since its foundation. Around 20 to 25 Hindu girls are abducted every month and converted to Islam forcibly.
[65] Sikhs in Pakistan, concentrated in the Lahore area, also have been constantly under a threat to convert to Islam.
[66] As
jizya was legalized by the Government of Pakistan in 2009, the
Taliban have been kidnapping minority communities to claim this tax
[67], while officials use a significantly pro-Islam constitution to encourage conversions
Thats the best joke ever. ( Im serious) lol
