Paper short abstract:

Following the work of Sanjesh, Ravi, and Rita, three volunteers at the Pakistan Seva Trust (a Hindu NGO in the Islamic Republic) the film reveals the complexities behind forced conversions in today’s Pakistan and seeks to disentangle them from a simply religious movens.

Paper long abstract:

Cases of “forced conversion” of Hindu girls in Pakistan often have a similar trajectory: a young woman disappears from her house, or place of work, for some days and resurfaces again as a married and newly converted Muslim. Changing one’s religion from Islam to any other faith would mean a denial of the Prophet Mohammad, thus this apostasy in Pakistan is an illegal act under blasphemy laws (§295 Pakistan Penal Code). Once a conversion occurs and has been publicized, the combination of legal issues and the dominant street power of extremist religious groups make it impossible for the newly converted girl to go back to her former life. Thus the acceptance of Islam in Pakistan is unidirectional. Unfortunately, these conversions are often utilized to conceal criminal acts including kidnapping, human trafficking, and rape. These cases also carry implications of “patriarchal opportunism” (Toor 2011), whereby religious sentiments are manipulated as a means of controlling female sexuality and denying women’s autonomy in choosing a spouse. Following the work of Sanjesh, Ravi, and Rita, three volunteers at the Pakistan Seva Trust (a Hindu NGO in the Islamic Republic) the film reveals the complexities behind forced conversions in today’s Pakistan and seeks to disentangle them from a simply religious movens.

DISCUSSION ON Thrust In To Heaven 20 min.