The point Webby raised wasn't that such incidents don't occur, its just that according to actualities involved in becoming a Muslim (a process called "Accepting Islam"), fundamentally requires acceptance of the Muslim that "There is no deity but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah". How can you force acceptance of this statement upon anyone?
Forced conversions happen in other religions through some rituals, however in Islam, it just won't count.
Asim, I very much agree with you that you cannot make anyone accept anything whatsoever, unless one wants it in his/her own heart.
But let us consider a scenario, where a girl is kidnapped, and faces threat to her life unless she gives in to the conversion, and then she is let free. What happens next? The girl says she was forcibly converted, the Imam (let's say a corrupt one) says she is was not forced but now she is refusing Islam.
Whose words will command greater respect and trust? The girl's or the Imam's?
Next comes Ridda (a law in its own kind, that I have heard of), the girl for her being an apostate shall be beheaded by none other but the Imam. Once she is made aware of this law, what makes you think the girl will ever in her life dare declare that she wants to go back to her previous faith?
As per my understanding, the Imam's words will be weighed more than the girl's. So she is left with two choices - live as a Muslim, at least she will be alive. Or, she can say she was forced, which the Imam will certainly call a lie (At least to protect himself from allegations of corruption), and she will be declared an apostate - we all know what happens after that.
I am not endorsing the news in question, as I have not found any other source. But I sure am proffering this scenario to all those, who say that she is still not a Muslim, and may live a normal Hindu/Christian/Whatever life after that incident with no threat from the society whatsoever.
In the eyes of Allah (SWA), she is indeed an innocent human being, but here on Earth, people around her will be delivering the immediate effects on her life.