A young American woman has embraced Islam in a village in Punjab’s Sialkot district before marrying a local man, in a case that has attracted widespread attention.The  woman, identified as Morris Ashley Naikoon, travelled to the area after developing an online relationship with a young man from Kamalpur Chishtian village, near Pasrur.

The report states that the couple’s relationship began on social media, eventually developing into a commitment that led the woman to travel to Pakistan. Before her marriage, she decided to convert to Islam of her own free will.At the Shah? Jamia Mosque in Pasrur, the mosque’s chief cleric, Mufti Noman Rasheed, administered the declaration of faith, after which she formally embraced Islam and was given the Muslim name Khadija.

The cleric later solemnised the marriage between Khadija and her Pakistani partner, Kif Al-Ura, in accordance with Islamic tradition. A dowry of 2,000 US dollars was fixed as part of the Nikah ceremony, which was conducted in English.The ceremony reportedly took place in the presence of local community members, marking a significant personal and cultural transition for the bride, who had arrived from the United States shortly before the event.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)