Pakistan: The situation of Sunni Muslims who convert to Shi'ism; the procedure involved in converting (June 2003 - August 2005)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 4 August 2005 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK100058.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: The situation of Sunni Muslims who convert to Shi'ism; the procedure involved in converting (June 2003 - August 2005), 4 August 2005, PAK100058.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/440ed73f7.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the situation of Sunni Muslims who convert to Shi'ism and the procedure involved in such a conversion was scarce among sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
In 3 August 2005 correspondence to the Research Directorate, a human rights activist based in Lahore, Pakistan provided the following information: societal attitudes and attitudes of members of the Sunni and Shi'a communities towards conversion to Shi'ism
...vary hugely from family to family, community to community. Essentially, under the traditions of the country, [conversion to Shi'ism] would not be a major problem. Indeed, in the past, many Sunnis made a 'technical conversion' to Shia Islam, as no deduction was then made from their accounts for Zakat (a charitable tax), whereas 2 percent was deducted from Sunni accounts. This situation has now changed, with many Sunnis also spared compulsory deductions.
Extremist Sunni groups, who see Shias as infidels, would oppose a change in affiliation strongly. Families adhering to such schools of thought would do the same, and even more moderate families are likely to have some objection when a Sunni converts, or indeed vice versa. The degree of objection would vary from case to case.
When asked about the procedure involved in converting to Shi'ism, the human rights activist indicated that usually conversion is made official "by obtaining a letter from a senior cleric of the said sect confirming conversion. This is not difficult to obtain" (3 Aug. 2005).
Additional and corroborating information on the situation of Sunni Muslims who convert to Shi'ism and the procedure involved in converting could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Employee of an independent human rights organization, Pakistan. 3 August 2005. Correspondence.
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), BBC, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004, Dawn, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Factiva, Freedom in the World 2004, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), International Religious Freedom 2003, World News Connection (WNC).
