[PJMedia] In Pakistain’s Punjab
...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2. A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3. A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots
....
province, the Christian parents of 15-year-old Sagar Masih are appealing for his return, saying he was pressured into converting to Islam at a factory job. A rights group says the case is one of a growing number of similar reports involving underage Christian boys in that country.
Sagar’s parents believe factory co-workers pressured him to leave his Christian faith, adopt Moslem prayer practices and convert to Islam, sometimes offering him rewards. This was affirmed in a statement released by the United Kingdom-based Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS-UK), a Christian advocacy group.
"We are deeply concerned for Sagar’s safety and welfare. He is only 15 years old and must first and foremost be treated as a child in need of protection," said CLAAS-UK Director Nasir Saeed. "Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but religious freedom must genuinely be free. There can be no place for coercion, threats, inducements or exploitation of a child’s poverty and vulnerability."
The family said Sagar came from a low-income Christian household and had taken the factory job to help support it. The family alleges the factory recorded Sagar’s name as "Sagar Muhammad," even though his legal name is Sagar Masih.
"We only want our child. We want our son returned to us and kept safe. We do not want anything else," the boy's father, Babar, told CLAAS-UK.
The family claims Sagar was required to pray in the Islamic style five times a day before converting, according to Worthy News.
Family members said they spent several days looking for Sagar before they found video footage of him with religious holy mans and others. They went to the police, seeking his return and an explanation of the alleged conversion.
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