Pakistan, whose claim to fame is breeding and exporting terrorism when they aren’t pleading with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide their failing economy with bailout packages, has once again drawn the attention of the netizens for all the wrong reasons. The recent incident is related to Karl Edward Rice who is popularly known as Karl Rock on social media. Karl Rock travelled to Pakistan with the intent of exploring the nation but soon encountered people asking him to convert to Islam.
In a video uploaded on Karl Rock’s official YouTube account on 16th August, he can be seen talking to two young boys asking for donations in the name of a mosque/madrasa. “I just wanted to see what these guys are doing. Looks like they are taking donations.” He also gave them some money and added, “So that just goes into the donation box over there. This guy’s given money as well. This just helps support the locals.” He also went to the mosque to find out what was going on and saw some young boys inside gaining religious education.
“What happened,” one of the young boys asked him to which he replied, “I am seeing.” The former then told him to make a video because “it will come in handy.” Karl Rock told him that he was from New Zealand and mentioned, “I’m from overseas. I am roaming around and going to Gilgit.” The youngster again inquired whether he was from New Zealand and complimented the country’s cricket team. “I watch cricket. Your team is good.”
The YouTuber thanked him and questioned, “So the entire day you take money for the mosque?” The youth answered, “Yes,” and asked Karl Rock whether he was a Muslim. “No,” Karl Rock replied and then the young boy urged, “Become a Muslim, it’s good for you. Read the Kalma (the Muslim confession of faith), the mosque is right here. It’ll help you a lot. Do you know Kalma?” The YouTuber clarified, “I don’t understand. My Urdu is weak.” However, the persistent boy said, “You don’t know Urdu but do you know how to read Kalma?”
The young boy explained that he meant Kalma when the YouTuber misinterpreted the term as Karma, and reiterated, “Do you know Kalma? What is it?”
Karl Rock who had enough up to that point maintained, “I don’t understand it. Allah Hafiz (May God protect you),” before riding off on his bike and remarked, “So that’s what’s going on in there,” to hint at the religious conversion in the area. Surprisingly, the youngster stopped him and again parroted, “Come, we will read Kalma. Become a Muslim. It’ll help you a lot.” However, Karl simply said, “I don’t understand, brother. Bye.”
“While travelling through the remote Kaghan Valley in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, I stopped to see why two young men were standing on the road with signs. I was a little too curious, so they asked if I wanted to convert to Islam. See what happens and how I get out of the situation. What would you do,” the description below the footage shared by Karl Rock read.
The YouTuber further noted, “While this is intimidating for foreign tourists, this young man didn’t have bad intentions. After I stopped, donated, and explored what was happening at the religious school, you can see why he thought I might be interested in joining.” The little kids might not have posed a threat but their action speaks volumes about the collective psyche of the country which was pointed out by the YouTuber’s next statement.
Karl Rock highlighted, “But while this fellow was harmless, later that day, in Naran, a local butcher tried more forcefully to convert me. My advice is to be cautious in remote areas of Pakistan and avoid being overly curious like me. If someone does try to convert you, it’s best to say you don’t understand and politely leave. Other travelers have told me they say they’re Muslim to avoid this altogether.” The YouTuber has nearly three million subscribers, more than 223K on Facebook and over 240K followers on Instagram.
The majority community in Pakistan is driven by the unwavering goal to force others to convert to Islam be it inside or outside the country. Notably, their celebrities, including popular cricketers such as Inzamam Ul Haq and Ahmed Shehzad, to name a few, have been captured doing the same even with players who belonged to other faiths.
