From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(December 2007) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

A forced conversion is the conversion to a religion or philosophy under duress, with the threatened consequence of earthly penalties or harm. These consequences range from job loss and social isolation to incarceration, torture or death. Typically, such a conversion entails the repudiation of former religious or philosophical convictions.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Buddhism 2 Christianity 3 Islam 3.1 Twenty-first century allegations 4 See also 5 References

Religious discrimination and persecution
By victimized group: Anti-clericalism African religions · Atheists Bahá'ís · Buddhists · Cathars Religion in China · Christians Hellenistic religions · Hindus Jehovah's Witnesses · Jews Mormons · Muslims · Neopagans Rastafari · Zoroastrians
By method: Censorship · Desecration Genocide · Forced conversion · Pogrom War · Discrimination · Fascism Intolerance · Terrorism Segregation · Violence · Abuse State atheism
Historical events Dechristianisation in the French Revolution Revolt in the Vendee · Cristero War Red Terror · Red Terror in Spain Cultural Revolution · Reign of Terror Inquisition · French Wars of Religion St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Khmer Rouge · Kulturkampf This box: view • talk • edit

In Buddhism forced conversion is forbidden. However, there have been instances in history where forced conversions have occurred. In the Edo period of Japan, when the first Christian missionaries had arrived, Tokugawa Shogunate forced many newly-converted Japanese Christians to renounce their new faith via "fumie". Those who refused were killed; however, some did survive in secret, and are called, "Kakure kirishitan".^{[citation needed]}

Christianity rejects the idea of forced conversion, as conversion is seen not as a external proclamations but internal beliefs (Romans 10:9-10)^{[citation needed]}. However, Christians have not always followed the New Testament mandate, which posed the question of how to deal with such conversions under duress. Pope Innocent III, who denounced forced conversions, pronounced in 1201 that even if torture and intimidation had been employed, in receiving the sacrament one nevertheless:

...does receive the impress of Christianity and may be forced to observe the Christian Faith as one who expressed a conditional willingness though, absolutely speaking, he was unwilling. ... [For] the grace of Baptism had been received, and they had been anointed with the sacred oil, and had participated in the body of the Lord, they might properly be forced to hold to the faith which they had accepted perforce, lest the name of the Lord be blasphemed, and lest they hold in contempt and consider vile the faith they had joined.^[1]

The "New Christians" were inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula (Sephardic Jews or Mudéjar Muslims) during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era who were baptized voluntarily or under coercion, becoming Conversos or Moriscos. In spite of their true faith, they were suspected by the "Old Christians" to be Crypto-Jews or Crypto-Muslims. Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1497.^[2]

During the Second World War Eastern Orthodox Serbs were forcibly converted to Roman catholicism or murdered by the Croatian Ustaša.^{[citation needed]}

In Communist Romania, followers of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church were forced to join the Romanian Orthodox Church by the government.^{[citation needed]}

In the People's Republic of China, Roman Catholics are forced to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church.^{[citation needed]}

Islam forbids forced conversion, as surah 2:256 says "Let there be no compulsion in religion"^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Karen Armstrong writes on forced conversions that after Muhammad's death, nobody in the Islamic empire was forced to accept the Islamic faith.^[8]

Incidents of forced conversions have been rare in Islamic history.^[9][10][11] According to Levy-Rubin, despite being rejected by Islamic law, cases of forced conversions such as of Ibn Firāsa against Samaritans can be noticed under Islamic rule.^[12][13] Forced conversions played a role especially in the 12th century under the Almohad dynasty of North Africa and Andalusia as well as in Persia where Shi'a Islam is dominant.^[14]

In 2001 the Indonesian army evacuated hundreds of Christian refugees from the remote Kesui and Teor islands in Maluku province after the refugees said they had been forced to convert to Islam. It was reported that some of the men had been circumcised against their will, and a paramilitary group involved in the incident confirmed that circumcisions had taken place but denied any element of coercion. ^[15]

In 2004 Coptic Christians in Egypt for several days occupied the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo, angry at the disappearance of the wife of a priest in a village in the Nile delta who was rumoured to have been forced to convert to Islam. The BBC reported that allegations of forced conversions of Copts to Islam surface every year in Egypt.^[16]

In August 2006 two journalists, Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, were kidnapped by Holy Jihad Brigades in Gaza City, and were apparently forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. The Palestinian news service Ramattan and Fox News reported that they were released unharmed, shortly after a new video was released.^[17] In the video, both journalists, wearing beige robes, read statements saying that they had converted to Islam, with Centanni stating "Islam is not just meant for some people; it is the true religion for all people at all times."^[17]After being freed Steve Centanni stated "We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, and don't get me wrong here, I have the highest respect for Islam, and learned a lot of very good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do, because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."^[17]

It was reported in February 2007 that Hindu and Sikh organisations in the UK believe that young women of these faiths are being coerced by young men they meet at university into converting to Islam. The chief of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair attended a conference where the allegations were made. A spokeswoman for the police said: "We are aware of it as an issue that concerns the Hindu community but are not aware, without further research, of any specific incidents reported to police. We would encourage anyone who has been targeted in this way to seek help.^[18]

In May 2007, members of the Christian community of Charsadda in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, close to the border with Afghanistan, reported receiving letters threatening bombings if they did not convert to Islam. They stated that the police were not taking their fears seriously. ^[19]

There have been numerous reports of Islamic attempts to forcibly convert religious minorities in Iraq. In Baghdad, Christians have been told to convert to Islam, pay the jizya or die.^{[20] [21] [22]} In March 2007 the BBC reported that people in the Mandaean religious minority in Iraq alleged that they were being targeted by Islamist insurgents and being offered the choice of conversion or death.^[23]

• Protestants in Eritrea