Debunking Love Jihad
What is Love Jihad?
Love Jihad is an Islamophobic conspiracy theory that led to the new law in Indian states introducing harsh scrutiny on interfaith marriage under the Prohibition of unlawful conversion of Religion ordinance. The conspiracy argues that Muslim men are prepared to elope with non-Muslim women to lure them to Islam. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government, on the floor of Rajya Sabha in 2020, admitted that there is no case of Love Jihad in India, dozens of Muslims have taken a toll from the baseless propaganda. The campaign peddled by Hindutva groups sparked much anti-Muslim violence across India, including lynchings, incarceration, torture, honour killings and the 2013 Muzaffarnagar violence that took over 60 lives.
Love Jihad is a neologism that surfaced in 2007 to a century-old smear about Muslims
alleging plots to seduce Hindu women and convert them to Islam. The conspiracy vilifies Muslims as predators and justifies segregating them from society. The trope argues Muslim's sole role in an interfaith relationship is an act of Jihad, a widely misrepresented Arabic terminology in Islam that means struggle or resistance. The campaign puts Muslims in doubt for their compassionate nature and brings hostility to non-Muslim women who befriend Muslim men. Love Jihad is anti-women which invokes the patriarchal norm that denies women the agency of an adult to make their decision and impose regulations by moral policing groups or state institutions. The term was widely used by the ruling BJP during elections contributing to polarisation — sixth in ten stages of genocide.
Rhetorics of Love Jihad in India
According to Charu Gupta, a Hindu militant group called Arya Samaj in the 1920s used a similar campaign to consolidate the Hindu fold. Abductions and conversions of Hindu women by Muslims became one of the main determinants of Hindu identity and consciousness in the period, providing Hindu publicists with a common reference point (Gupta, 2009, 14). The campaign used reference to early Hindi novels that portrayed Muslims as rapists and sexual predators. Accusations of Muslims eloping with Hindu women caused riots in Kanpur in June 1924 and Mathura in March 1928 (Gupta, 2009, 14).
In 1924, Raza Ali, the deputy collector of Kanpur, was accused of abducting, seducing and converting a Hindu girl triggering affray. In 1925, Hindu Sabha recruited Hindu volunteers in Banaras to prevent Hindu women from eloping with Muslim men. Hindu men from different cities were given the duty to keep a check on Muslims interacting with Hindu women.
By the time of the India-Pakistan partition — based on religion — atrocities against women became a contest in Hindu-Muslim conflicts. An estimated 75,000 women were raped and abducted by men on both sides (Mahanta, 2014). Both governments initiated 'recovery operations' to rescue over 20,000 Muslim and 9,000 non-Muslim women between 1947 and 1956. Partition scholars observe that women became a tool to demoralise the other group. A pamphlet written in 1947 by Hindu ideologue Krishnaswami reads that Muslims are ‘launching demographic war; seducing and marrying Hindu girls and displaying them as proud jihad trophies’ (Dibyesh, 2016).
The theory about Love Jihad was coined in 2007 by a Karnataka Hindutva outfit — Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. The same year, Shahan Sha of Kerala got charged for forcibly abducting and converting Methula, a Hindu girl. Similarly, Karnataka state officials demanded an investigation into claims that young Muslim men were seducing Hindu and Christian girls solely to convert them (Gupta, 2016). The investigation in both cases refuted the complaint of forced conversion. But a public opinion grew through media trials and public campaign, infecting a doubt about Muslim men.
India’s largest circulating regional-language daily, Malayala Manorama, published a series of articles that triggered the public debate on Love Jihad. Quoting sources in police intelligence, the report claimed that 2866 girls are converted to Islam from 2005-2009. In April 2010, police used the term Love Jihad in the alleged kidnapping, forced conversion and marriage of a 17-year-old college girl in Mysore.
According to the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, by October 2009, up to 4,500 girls in Kerala had been targeted, whereas Hindu Janajagruti Samiti claimed that about 30,000 girls were converted in Karnataka alone. The anti-Muslim campaign brought Christian and Hindu groups together in Kerala. Christian Association for Social Action (CASA) worked with the notorious Hindu militant outfit, Vishwa Hindu Parishad to curb Love Jihad. The VHP had set up a hotline and claimed that it had received about 1500 calls in three months. Christian groups also set up a helpline to keep a vigil on Love Jihad.
Though all of these were speculations, VS Achuthanandan, the then Communist chief minister of Kerala, ignited the issue saying a Muslim outfit was planning to Islamise Kerala in 20 years "by influencing the youth of other religions and converting them with by giving money, marrying them to Muslim women and thus producing kids of the community.”
Love, a conspiracy in Hindu nationalism
Razing down Babri Masjid and the Gujarat Genocide, degraded the public image exposed the radicalised militant face of Hindutva. Love Jihad became an eligible moral justification for persecuting Muslims in India. Reviving anxieties about Muslims as women predators became an immediate threat to every household. It was easy to create an image of a lustful Muslim man through the contributions of Western orientalism and Hindu orientalism. The conspiracy that took off in south Indian states were bluntly embraced by Hindutva groups in North India (Kumar G, 2014).
Shri Ram Sena launched a national anti-love jihad campaign in 2009 called 'Save our daughters, save India' (Mahanta, 2014). The BJP’s then UP President Laxmikant Bajpai pronounced, “Have they got a certificate to rape girls because they belong to a particular religion?” He went on to enunciate that ninety per cent of all rapes were committed by Muslims. (Gupta, 2009, 15). The vendetta against Muslim youth, formulated by Hindutva groups, became personal for each individual. Websites such as LoveJihadInfo.com were launched as a database for all the Love Jihad cases. In 2012, Kerala police’s cyber cell registered a case against the website www.hindujagruti.org for spreading religious hatred and false propaganda. Police also busted fake posters circulated in the name of Muslim outfit offering money to practice Love Jihad.
Dozens of hate crimes are reported every year under the pretext of Love Jihad. In UP, girls were banned from using cell phones to fight Love jihad. Islamophobia played a great role in consolidating the Hindu votes to win the margin for BJP in 2014. Hindutva’s socio-religious cries against “love jihad” and for ghar vāpasī (reverse conversion campaign) fueled Hindu radicalisation.
A year before BJP won the 2014 general assembly elections, Love Jihad speculation sparked anti-Muslim pogrom in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, killing at least 62 people and displaced more than 50,000 Muslims. Under Amit Shah, who was UP election in charge, launched a grassroots campaign against Love Jihad that shattered communal harmony. BJP workers went from village to village in western UP to campaign against Love jihad (Mahaprashasta, 2020).
“When society could no longer bear the ‘love jihadists’ outraging the modesty and dignity of Hindu women and girls in rural and urban areas of UP, the corrective movement in the form of the Bahu, Beti Bachao mahapanchayat came into being,” responded VHP leader Ashok Singhal justified the violence. Muzaffarnagar violence resulted in one of India’s biggest demographic transformations and became the cornerstone for the upcoming state election.
Love Jihad is a Groundless claim
In January 2020, Rekha Sharma, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) warned the government of Indian southern state Kerala that love Jihad was like a “ticking time bomb” that would “explode” unless the government acted against it. But when demanded data through the Right to Information Act, The commission replied that there is no data to back the claims of its chairperson.
In Uttar Pradesh, A special investigation into Love Jihad cases concluded that all Hindu-Muslim romances are consensual and no evidence for organised conspiracy or foreign funding was found. All 22 police stations in Kanpur city were asked to report suspected instances of Hindu-Muslim romance but only 14 cases eventually emerged, which the special investigation team probed.
In February 2020, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy told the Lok Sabha, “The term ‘Love Jihad’ is not defined under the extant laws. No such case of ‘Love Jihad’ has been reported by any of the central agencies.”
in 2014, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy stated that there was no evidence for any of them being forced conversions and that fears of 'love jihad’ were "baseless." The Director-General of Police and the State women’s Commission has refuted the existence of the Love Jihad plot. According to Reuters, the concept was considered "an absurd conspiracy theory by mainstream, moderate Indians.
During the infamous Hadiya case, the National Investigation Agency picked 11 cases of interfaith marriages in Kerala for examination as part of its probe into cases of Love Jihad at the instance of the Supreme Court and found no evidence. These 11 cases were filtered from a list of 89 interfaith marriages that were already before law enforcement authorities and which were referred to the federal anti-terrorism agency by the Kerala police (Ahuja, 2018).
Ramifications of Love Jihad conspiracy
The impact of Love Jihad is yet to be accurately documented. Dozens of hate crimes and anti-Muslim violence are linked to the rumours of Love Jihad. In 2017, a Hindu extremist called Shambu Lal from west Rajasthan heckled and set ablaze a Muslim, live streaming it on social media with a minor’s help. In the video, Shambu Lal warns Muslims, saying: "This is what will happen to you if you do 'love jihad' in our country." The victim, Mohammad Afrazul had no history or any links with Shambu Lal, leading to the conclusion, Shambu Lal was looking for any Muslim.
Beyond lynching, the Love Jihad conspiracy has promoted everyday atrocities against Muslims. In 2018, a Facebook page called Hindutva Varta called for violence against 102 Muslim men who are allegedly in relationships with Hindu women. The page was taken down after an outcry from Muslim activists. One previous post on the same page includes a call to Hindu parents to teach their daughters to use guns to protect themselves against Love Jihad.
In May 2017, Hadiya Ashokan, a new convert to Islam was sent to her parent’s custody by Kerala High Court after annulling her marriage against her free will. The high court said the girl was “weak and vulnerable” and susceptible to exploitation, and that “marriage being the most important decision in her life, can also be taken only with the active involvement of her parents.” Hadiya spent months in confinement without access to her peer groups. Hadiya, then 24-years-old, was lodged in her house with police protection, only allowed to meet Hindu vigilante groups who tried to persuade her to revert to Hinduism. Shefin Jahan moved to the Supreme Court to challenge the annulment. It took six months for the Supreme court to allow Hadiya to step out of her parent’s custody and go back to college. In March 2018, The Supreme Court allowed Hadiya to live with her his The same same
The same year, Reyaz, a young designer from Kerala was charged under India's stringent anti-terrorism law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for forcefully converting a Hindu woman to Islam and conspiring to traffic her to the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. The charges were dropped eventually after all allegations fell apart during the investigation.
An advertisement for jewellery chain, Tanishq, depicting a Hindu woman and a Muslim man preparing for their wedding was vigorously attacked by Hindu groups for allegedly promoting Love Jihad. Outlets were targeted and the company withdrew the advertisement. Police Case is registered against video streaming platform Netflix, for airing BBC’s adaptation of the novel “A Suitable Boy” by Indian writer Vikram Seth. One of the scene in the film that shows a Hindu girl kissing a Muslim boy against the backdrop of a Hindu temple prompted the backlash and campaign to boycott Netflix.
Yogi Adityanath, The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is one of the most vocal BJP voices against ‘love jihad’. At an election rally, he threatened death for the young men “who play with the honour of our sisters and daughters”. The vilifying campaign of Love Jihad has invaded every aspect of social life, creating self-regulation in forging companionship between Muslim and non-Muslim in India. The scrutiny became legitimate after the new ordinance that puts checks on interfaith conversion.
Law obstructing interfaith love
In November 2020, Uttar Pradesh passed the first “anti-love jihad” law in the country, calling it the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance. A dozen BJP ruled states followed UP. Hindu groups in non-BJP states are demanding to introduce the anti-Muslim law which is deemed as arbitrary. The Ordinance requires individuals seeking to convert and religious converters to submit an advance declaration of the proposed religious conversion to the District Magistrate. Rights groups fear that the law empowers the state “to suppress an individual’s personal liberty” and hence violate Article 21 of the Indian constitution.
The ordinance prohibits conversion of religion through (i) force, misrepresentation, undue influence, and allurement, or (ii) fraud, or (iii) marriage. It also prohibits a person from abetting, convincing, and conspiring to such conversions. However, a person reconverting to his/her immediate previous religion is allowed. This is to ensure that the “Ghar wapsi” (home-coming) initiatives by RSS linked organisations to get people from tribal communities, Christians and Muslims to “return” to what they see as the Hindu fold, face no hurdle (Vahanvaty, 2020).
According to women's rights groups, the autonomy of women has subjugated in this law. Any relative of the woman can file a complaint to get the police. The law presumes the woman is a chattel of the family, community and relatives who now have greater agency than her and can invite police and bureaucrats to interfere in an adult’s personal choice (Naqvi, 2020). According to the law, the burden of proof is on the persons causing or facilitating such conversions. It validates the patriarchal norm that women convert as individuals, sans familial and community approval.
The right to marry a person of one’s choice is a guarantee under Article 21 of the Indian constitution. Freedom of conscience, practice and propagation of a religion of one’s choice, including not following any religion, are guaranteed under Article 25. India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights Commission, 1989) that calls for ‘free and full choice’ in decisions on when and whom to marry.
Dozens of cases are registered in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana under the new law, overwhelmingly targetting Muslim men and newly converted Muslim women. In Madhya Pradesh, state police have registered 21 cases against 47 people with 25 arrests recorded within three months under the new anti-conversion law. According to data, In all the 21 cases, the accused are from minority communities, including Muslims (15 cases) and Christians (six cases). A Muslim boy was booked for walking home a Dalit girl in Bijnor under new anti-conversion law, sections of the SC/ST Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Is Love Jihad a moral justification for ethnic cleansing?
Genocide Watch, an international whistleblower group, considers India is in stages 6 (polarization), 7 (preparation), and 8 (persecution) in the Ten Stages of Genocide. Indian writer Arundhati Roy has also flagged that India is having a genocidal climate for Muslims.
Before the Holocaust in Germany, the Nazi party distributed Anti-Semitic propaganda depicting caricatures of animal-like Jewish men with exaggerated facial features and darkened skin. They were portrayed preying on White, Aryan women, who were depicted as either virtuous maternal figures or as sexualized “pinup girls” (Rondini, 2018, 61). The vilifying campaign paved the way for Nuremberg Laws: Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor. The law states that Marriages between Jews and citizens of German or kindred blood are forbidden. Marriages concluded in defiance of this law are void, even if, to evade this law, they were concluded abroad. The law validated the persecution of Jews which escalated to the Holocaust.
Parallel smear campaigns can be traced in American history where black-skinned people were depicted as a threat to white women. At the beginning of the twentieth century, anti-black propaganda that found its way into scientific journals, local newspapers, and best-selling novels focused on the stereotype of the black rapist. The claim that black brutes were, in epidemic numbers, raping white women became the public rationalization for the lynching of blacks. Miscegenation — a term coined by Abraham Lincoln’s opponents to describe interracial relationships — survived for more than 300 years which helped enforce segregation, maintain a racial hierarchy and oppress women (Chowdhury, 2020).
Strains of the same anxieties about Muslim men can be seen in Myanmar, a ruse of Muslims preying on Buddhist women, which led to the Rohingya genocide in 2016. Wirathu, leader of the anti-Muslim 969 movement in Myanmar, presented a proposal to restrict Buddhist women from marrying Muslim men. "We must protect Buddhist women from Muslim men, who lie to them, force them to convert, and do not allow them to practice their religion freely," Wirathu told Wall Street Journal. India, Myanmar’s neighbour, is also following a similar path, constructing a public consciousness that approves Hindutva principles that desire to uproot Islam from ‘Akanda Bharat’ a mythical territorial concept.
Dozens of Misinformation news are circulated by Hindutva social media handles and India’s mainstream media outlets enabling the atrocities towards Muslims. The warnings from Genocide watch and the growing grip of Hindu nationalism in Indian democracy has created anxieties among Muslims Constitutional rights are changed under Modi’s regime as the country is slipping down into a situation where Hindutva groups amend laws. Love Jihad is a catastrophe in the making.
Bibliography
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