VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

(Voice of the Persecuted) We invite you to join us tonight in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.

Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A court in Pakistan on Wednesday (March 25) upheld the marriage of a forcibly converted 13-year-old Christian girl to the Muslim man accused of kidnapping her, sending a wave of anguish and alarm through the Christian community.

Christian rights advocates and civil society groups strongly condemned the verdict by the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which granted custody of young Maria Shahbaz to Shehryar Ahmad, a 30-year-old Muslim alleged to have forcibly converted and married her.

Maria was abducted on July 29, and since then, her family has repeatedly sought judicial intervention to recover her, without success.

In a detailed judgment issued on March 25 – nearly two months after its short order on Feb. 3 – a two-judge bench comprising Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha ruled that Maria was of “mature age” and therefore in the lawful custody of her “husband.”

The court held that sharia (Islamic law) permits Muslim men to marry women from Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book) and found that Maria’s conversion to Islam was valid. It stated that no formal rituals are required for conversion beyond a declaration of faith, accepting an affidavit attached to the alleged fake marriage certificate and an Islamic seminary-issued certificate as sufficient proof.

“In Islam, no specific rituals are required for a non-Muslim to be regarded as having embraced the faith,” the judgment stated, adding that a declaration affirming core beliefs is sufficient to establish conversion. “What is required is a declaration and recitation of the Kalima, with belief in the Oneness of Allah, the Finality of the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and the Holy Quran, as well as belief in earlier Prophets, Divine Scriptures, and the Day of Judgment.”

Addressing assertions by Maria’s father, Shahbaz Masih, that she was a 12-year-old minor at the time of the illegal marriage, the court dismissed documentary evidence of her age as “unreliable.” The judges cited inconsistencies in the father’s initial police report and delays in the issuance of official records, including her birth registration and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) documents.

The ruling also pointed to discrepancies in family records, including a narrow gap between the reported birth dates of Maria and her younger sibling. It further noted that Maria herself had listed her date of birth as Feb. 1, 2007, in the marriage certificate and appeared older in court.

“Her physical appearance before the court also suggests a more advanced age,” the judgment stated, concluding that the available documents could not be relied upon to establish that she was a minor.

Verdict Reviled

The controversial judgment drew sharp criticism from rights groups and activists, who argue that the court disregarded key evidence and prior findings indicating that the marriage was unlawful.

Safdar Chaudhry, whose Raah-e-Nijaat Ministry provided legal assistance to the Masih family, said the court had ignored critical investigative material.

“The judges overlooked the police’s reinvestigation report, the reinstated FIR [First Information Report], and testimony from the investigating officer indicating that an illegal marriage had been contracted with a minor, with no official record at the relevant union council,” Chaudhry told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “They also failed to consider that the girl remained in the custody of the accused for over six months, raising serious concerns about coercion.”

The rights defender also questioned the two-month delay in issuing the detailed judgment, calling it a “travesty of justice,” and said the family would challenge the ruling before a larger bench.

“If superior courts refuse to recognize official birth documents, there is little hope for protecting underage minority girls,” Chaudhry said.

Tehmina Arora, director of advocacy for Asia at ADF International, described the verdict as “deeply alarming” for Pakistan’s religious minorities, particularly Christian and Hindu minority communities.

“The court cannot attribute legal capacity or consent to a minor based solely on her statement while ignoring documentary evidence,” she said. “In such cases, claims of consent are often made under coercion, particularly where vulnerable minority girls face systemic pressure and intimidation.”

Human rights advocates say the case reflects a broader and recurring pattern in Pakistan, where minority girls – some reportedly as young as 10 – are abducted, forcibly converted and married to Muslim men. Victims are frequently pressured to give statements in favor of their alleged abductors, while courts often discount official age documents and validate such unions, returning girls to their alleged captors as “legal wives.”

In a strongly worded statement, the Minority Rights March (MRM) said it was “appalled” by the FCC’s ruling.

“The court not only refused to restore custody of the victim to her father but effectively legitimized her continued cohabitation with her abductor under the guise of a ‘Nikah,’ [Islamic marriage certificate]” the statement said. “While child marriage is recognized as a crime, declaring the marriage itself valid is self-contradictory and undermines the very purpose of child marriage restraint laws.”

The group also criticized the court for endorsing a coerced religious conversion.

“It is alarming that the highest judicial forum has delivered a verdict that risks emboldening those who abduct and abuse minor girls from minority communities under the cover of marriage,” the statement said, warning that the ruling could weaken constitutional protections for religious minorities.

MRM urged the Attorney General of Pakistan to seek a review of the judgment and called on lawmakers to strengthen child marriage laws, including provisions that would render such marriages void from the outset.

It also called on prosecutors to pursue criminal proceedings under existing laws and to recover Maria from the custody of the accused.

“This verdict has neither resolved the question of the victim’s age nor addressed the underlying criminal allegations,” the statement said. “The state must act to ensure justice is not denied.”

Pakistan, where more than 96 percent of the population is Muslim, ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.

Join the prayer conference call tonight and pray united with us. This dear girl and her family need our prayers.

Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader

Photo credit: Maria Shahbaz’s parents with rights activist Safdar Chaudhry and lawyer Rana Abdul Hameed after federal court ruling. (Facebook)

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What is Persecution Watch?

Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. The Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continuing the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.

Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia, the prayer warrior team in the mission and their personal lives.

“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church, the Holy Spirit moved them to pray. We too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.

On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time will be reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.

Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.

We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!

God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.

Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team

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