The bride has willingly accepted to stay a prisoner for life. Today, Farah Hatim, the Catholic Pakistani girl kidnapped in May last year, forcibly converted to Islam and made to marry her Muslim kidnapper, presented herself before the local section of the Punjab High Court, in Bahawalpur.
The appeal had been presented by the APMA (All Pakistan Minorities Alliance) after a court of first instance had rejected the family’s request to meet the girl.
And so, in tears, when the judge asked the inevitable question: “With whom do you want to stay: with your family of origin or with your husband?” her first naive response was: “With both.” “That’s not possible”, the judge immediately retorted and silence ensued. There she was, alone, ready to defend herself against any eventuality. She glanced at her so-called spouse and then at her family and then came an answer that was almost suffocating: “With him, with my husband.”
Her mother, her sister and her brothers refuse to accept her choice. After the hearing, Farrah was finally able to speak with them for a few minutes. “No, I cannot come back,” she said. According to what the family said to Vatican Insider sources, she had received death threats and heavy intimidations. Sources that are in contact with the family said it is very likely that Farrah is pregnant and that this happened against her will.
It is believed that the reason for Farrah’s choice lies behind Pakistan’s cultural context and local customary law. A woman under those conditions (kidnapped, “converted” and pregnant) cannot help but stay with her husband because if she were rejected, it would place upon her a perpetual stigma, to the point that no man would ever want her at his side. “Given the conditions - said Shahid Mobeen, professor of Islamic thought at the Lateran University and secretary of the association of Pakistani Christians in Italy - Farah’s response was a “prudent” one.
Unfortunately, given the circumstances, it was the only one possible, especially if it is true that the young man really did get her pregnant on purpose. Now - he continued – it is hoped that after the hearing, the spouse will not bring other wives home, will not beat her and will not force her into prostitution...”
Well-informed local sources say that Farah is the victim of an organization that traffics in call girls, a network linked to the hospital where the girl worked, created to supply prostitutes to politicians.”
Officially, at least in Pakistan, it looks like Hatim’s case is now considered permanently closed. In fact, from now on, the family of origin - according to law - no longer has any authority over her. Sources say the girl wished to express her thanks to the international community for their attention given to her case.