Si bien es una práctica condenada con 7 años de cárcel, se estima que más de 10.000 mujeres han sido obligadas a casarse con el Corán, permaneciendo en su casa para cuidar a sus familiares y de ese modo evitar que se dividan las tierras de la familia. La práctica conocida como «Haq Bakshish», significa literalmente «renunciar al derecho a casarse» y les obliga a aprenderse el Corán de memoria o llevar siempre uno colgado al cuello y es una práctica generalizada en la provincia de Sindh y en algunas partes del Punjab en el Sur de Pakistán.
La realidad es que quienes más lo practican pertenecen a la casta Sayyid, que se dicen descendientes del profeta Mahoma. Como se les considera musulmanes de sangre pura, nadie osa denunciarles. Precisamente esta pureza de sangre es otra causa en el origen de estos matrimonios, porque sólo ocurre cuando no se les ha encontrado un marido de su misma casta.
A view of Karachi downtown, the capital of Sindh province (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
«They learn its contents off by heart and have to hang the text around their wastes with a cord. They live segregated lives and no boy that is older than 14 is allowed to approach them. A life sentence they have no say in.
The tradition, known as the “Haq Bakshish”, literally means “renouncing the right to marry”. It is an ancient and cursed tradition that is still widely practiced in the Sindh province and in some parts of the Punjab in Southern Pakistan.
Arabic international newspaper Asharq Al Awsat says that in 2007 there were an estimated ten thousand Quran brides in Sindh.
The roots of this tradition are economic more than religious. This is explained further in a 2011 US Department of State report on human rights in the world. It said that this practice is prevalent among the families of big landowners.
When a suitable husband cannot be found for a daughter or a sister among the members of extended family (cousins and uncles, Ed.), then it is preferable to keep the girl cooped inside the family home than divide the land, giving a portion of it to the girl as a dowry and letting her marry an outsider.
This keeps her portion of the land within the family and under the protection of her father or brother.
Under Pakistani law the Haq Bakshish tradition is punishable by a seven-year prison sentence, but no one dares report such cases. This is partly due to the fact that the families involved belong to the Sayyid caste, which claims its members are direct descendants of the prophet Mohammed.
These pure-blooded Muslims are often leaders of institutions. This is why Quran brides are hidden away, making it impossible to get official numbers.
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