Pakistan's religious affairs ministry opposes restricting religious conversion before 18 years of age
Published 14 Jul,2021 via Dawn - The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday opposed a restriction on converting religion before the age of 18 years, saying that if someone aged 14 years wished to convert to some other religion, they could "not be stopped".
The comments were made by Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri during a meeting of the Senate parliamentary committee on minorities' rights. "We do not support a restriction on religious conversion before 18 years of age," Qadri, who is also a member of the committee, told the meeting.
"There are several incidents where someone expresses the wish to convert their religion out of their own choice before the age of 18. There are several examples in Islam of religious conversion before 18," he said.
Free, in under 30 seconds
Join thousands of professionals reading Salaam Gateway — the Global Islamic Economy Gateway.
Already a member? Sign in
- 5 free articles every month
- Weekly Islamic-economy newsletter
- Save articles to read later
Dawn