A former sikh girl from Kashmir who was in middle of controversy after she converted and married a Muslim man in Jammu and Kashmir, has come out and said, “ she willingly converted to Islam” and that there was no pressure from her husband’s side.
“I willingly converted to Islam. The Sikh community has been very rude over the past few days. I saw my name also surface, so I thought of recording a video and uploading it on the internet to prove my case,” she said in the video.
Veeranpal Kaur, who has assumed the name Khatiza, said that there were no basis on the allegations of “conversions were being done at gunpoint”.
In the video message, Khatija clarifies that both, the court where she registered her wedding and the Maulvi who convened the rituals, not only confirmed her date of birth, but also wanted to be doubly sure she was not converting to Islam under any duress.
On June 26, an 18-year-old Kashmiri Sikh girl who had been allegedly forced to convert and marry a Muslim man was apparently rescued at the intervention of Sikh leaders in Delhi. She was then married off to a Sikh man and the newlyweds were flown to Delhi to protect them.
Several Sikh organizations in the country have condemned alleged religious conversion of Sikh girls in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded action against those responsible. Some have also sought intervention of the Prime Minister, Governor of J&K and the National Human Rights Commission.
