WASHINGTON – The US State Department is investigating a case of an American girl of Pakistani origin who is reportedly being held against her will in Faisalabad where her family took her from Forsyth County, Georgia, on a false pretext and is now being forced into an ‘arranged’ marriage, according US media reports.
A department official told an American television reporter that they were aware of the case, and an investigation was on. “Due to privacy concerns, we can’t comment further. We have to protect American citizens.” The State Department reacted after Ms Humna Sheikh’s ” fiance” Richard Jones, her American colleague at a store, brought the case to its attention. Jones told channel2 reporter that he and Humna were in love with each other. “We were trying to re-establish relationships with her family,” Jones said. Instead, he said things turned violent. Jones said when her brother, Adeel Sheikh, saw them together he assaulted him in a parking lot.
The reporter said he verified a police report on the incident which said Adeel “grabbed Humna, threatened her if she disobeyed him and forced her into his vehicle.” Jones said Humna sent him text messages that she was scared and claimed her family bought her a ticket to Dubai with a promise. “They told her if you go on this trip, when you come back we will accept your relationship with a non-Muslim,” Jones said. Humna’s alleged Facebook page showed that she posted pictures of her Dubai trip, but they stopped on Aug 13. Jones said her family told Humna while she was in Dubai that her father had a heart attack. “She was tricked by her family to go into Pakistan and as soon as she got to Pakistan, they abducted her. They locked her up in her house and took away her US passport and told her she cannot escape. They said if she tried, she would be killed or harmed. They were going to force her into a marriage with someone she does not know,” Jones said. “Are you 100 percent sure she didn’t try to get away and get away from you?” the reporter asked Jones. “150 percent sure,” he said. Jones created a website, rescuehumna.org, and a Facebook page.
Tags: forced, forced marriage, halo project, haloproject, honour based violence
