Love Jihad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Love Jihad (Malayalam: ലൗ ജിഹാദ്, La Jihād), also called Romeo Jihad, is an alleged activity under which some young Muslim boys in Kerala and coastal Karnataka in Southern India reportedly targeted college girls belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love. The allegations have raised concerns in various Hindu and Christian organizations,[1] while Muslim organisations in Kerala have denied that they are true.[2] Officials have taken concerns seriously and investigations were launched in 2009 in Kerala and Karnataka, but to date no organised activity of the sort has been confirmed in those investigations.Contents[hide] |
[edit] Scope
Love Jihad was alleged to be conducted in Kerala and Mangalore in the coastal Karnataka region. According to Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, up to 4,500 girls in Kerala have been targeted, whereas Hindu Janajagruti Samiti claimed that 30,000 girls have been converted in Karnataka alone.[3][4][5] Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana general secretary Vellapally Natesan said that there had been reports in Narayaneeya communities of "Love Jihad" attempts.[6][7]The practice is said to be popular on college campuses, and it was on one such that in early September 2009 two girls — one Hindu and one Christian — indicated that they had been forced to convert by two Muslim youths.[8] The young men, both of whom were members of the Muslim Popular Front of India's student organisation Campus Front were subsequently arrested and held without bail.[8]
[edit] Official investigation
In October 2009, the Karnataka government announced its intentions to counter "Love Jihad", which "appeared to be a serious issue".[9] A week after the announcement, the government ordered a probe into the situation by the Crime Branch CID to determine if an organised effort existed to convert these girls and, if so, by whom it was being funded.[10] One woman whose conversion to Islam came under scrutiny as a result of the probe was temporarily ordered to the custody of her parents, but eventually permitted to return to her new husband after she appeared in court, denying pressure to convert.[11][12] In April 2010, police used the term to characterize the alleged kidnapping, forced conversion and marriage of a 17-year-old college girl in Mysore.[13]Following the launching of a poster campaign in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala, purportedly by organisation Shri Ram Sena, state police began investigating the presence of that organisation in the area.[14] In late October 2009, police addressed the question of "Love Jihad" itself, indicating that while they had not located an organisation called "Love Jihad", "there are reasons to suspect ‘concentrated attempts’ to persuade girls to convert to Islam after they fall in love with Muslim boys".[15][16] They documented unconfirmed reports of a foreign-funded network of groups encouraging conversion through the subterfuge, but noted that no organisations conducting such campaigns had been confirmed and no evidence had been located to support foreign financial aid.[17]
In late 2009, The Karnataka CID (Criminal Investigation Department) reported that although it was continuing to investigate, it had found no evidence that a "Love Jihad" existed.[18] In late 2009, Director-General of Police Jacob Punnoose reported that although the investigation would continue, there was no evidence of any organisation using men "feigning love" to lure your women to convert to Islam.[19] However, on 9 December 2009, Justice K T Sankaran for the Kerala High Court weighed in on the matter while hearing bail for the Muslim youth arrested for allegedly forcibly converting the two campus girls. According to Sankaran, police reports revealed the "blessings of some outfits" for a "concerted" effort for religious conversions, some 3,000 to 4,000 incidences of which had taken place after love affairs in a four year period.[20] Sankaran "found indications of ‘forceful’ religious conversions under the garb of ‘love’", suggesting that "such ‘deceptive’ acts" might require legislative intervention to prevent.[20] According to The Indian Express, his conclusion that "such incidents under the pretext of love were rampant in certain parts of the state" ran contrary to Central and state government reports.[21] In early 2010, the State Government reported to the Karnataka High Court that although a large number of young Hindu women had converted to Islam, there was no organized attempt to convince them to do so.[22] A petition was also put before Sankaran to prevent the use of the terms "Love Jehad" and "Romeo Jehad", but Sankaran declined to overrule an earlier decision not to restrain media usage.[21] Subsequently, however, the High Court stayed further police investigation, both because no organised efforts had been disclosed by police probes and because the investigation was specifically targeted against a single community.[23]
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