Political Diary
New Delhi,
23 April 2024
Love Jihad
HOLIER THAN THOU POLL
WAR
By Poonam I Kaushish
In this heated poll
season, India is once again caught in a battle royale between the Gods, another Love Jihad (LJ) which is raising temperatures. LJ, a convenient
political tool and de rigueur wrapped
in welfare schemes and development that helped bring BJP to power at the Centre
twice over. Whereby, ishq-mohabat-shaadi
cutting across caste and religious boundaries inter-meshed with forced
conversions churned the political cauldron resulting in an unholy clash between
the ‘holier than thou’!
The latest Love Jihad outcry has its genesis in murder of a Karnataka
college girl by her former classmate in Hubballi which has ignited a political
firestorm in the State, with the girl’s family alleging the accused had been pressuring her to religiously convert and marry him.
Naturally, the BJP termed it a case of ‘love jihad,’ hitting out at the
Siddaramaiah-led Government, accusing it of playing politics of appeasement at
the expense of law and order. With the ruling Congress staunchly denying the
allegation, asserting “it was a mutual relationship.” Thereby, reopening the can of worms of the old familiar enemy, country
wide.
Resulting in the Hindutva brigade bandying Bahu-Beti
Bachao Sangharsh Samitis and unleashing an aggressive, systematic campaign
to create “awareness” and combat LJ with the BJP being the driving force behind
anti love-jihadists legislations across States ruled by it. Wherein, any action
taken against the perpetrators is justified, even if it means taking law into
their hands. Said UP Chief Minister Yogi, “those who conceal their identity and
play with the honour of our sisters and daughters, if you don’t mend your ways,
your ‘Ram naam satya’ journey (final
trip) will begin.”
Congress accuses BJP
for engineering Hindu majoritarian communal style of politics by using tactics
like attempting to electorally marginalise Muslims to patronising communal
violence, especially around the emotive ‘love jihad’ issue and bringing
anti-conversion laws in States ruled by it.
The BJP retaliates by
blaming Congress and its State Government of failing to take action against the
Muslim boy slamming it as a ‘Muslim Party’ part of the “tukde-tukde gang” which protects terrorists and follows politics
of appeasement “working on Pakistan’s agenda.”
As for other Opposition
Parties despite taking the Hindutva brigade to task over their anti-minority
plank and opposing aggressive Hindutva consolidation, they do not want to be
labeled as “pro-Muslim.” Reading the ‘Muslim mind’ as an anti-BJP phenomenon on
which they base their political strategy.
Who does one fault?
Given our netas have perfected
intemperate language to inject poison in society over the years. Alas, politics
has meandered into narrow confines of polarisation and appeasement rhetoric,
rabble rousing abusive, devoid of any substance, spreading hatred but also
tilted towards widening the communal divide pitting Hindus against Muslims.
All to sway sentiments
before elections in all religions whereby every Party is stoking the fire,
hoping it would gain dividends underscoring the games politicians play at the
altar of political expediency. To keep their gullible vote-banks emotionally
charged so that their own ulterior motives are well-served.
Undeniably, post its
defeat in the State Assembly polls, BJP is using its new Hindutva rajneeti post Ayodhya consecration and Hindu
cultural renaissance to make inroads into areas and regions even with little or
no significant minority presence as it revolves around its pet slogan Sab Ka Saaath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Vishwas
es baar 400 paar. Yet it realizes the ‘Muslim mind’ is still
problematic.
Last year various
right-wing outfits undertook Hindu Jan
Akrosh rallies to press for laws against ‘love jihad,’ ‘land jihad’ and
‘Hindutva is in danger’ card. Opposition Parties accuse the Saffron Sangh of
playing out divisive issues: how Muslim population’s growth rate threatens the
primacy of the “Hindu” nation with a cynical eye on electoral gains.
Notwithstanding, this dog whistle politics spells bad news for communal
harmony.
Not many are aware the LJ programme started in 1996 with
blessings of some Muslim organizations in Kerala, though the term was first
heard in the State’s Pathanamthitta district in September 2009 and used in a
Kerala High Court judgment three months later. Dubbing it ‘an alleged Muslim
plot to forcefully convert young brilliant Hindu girls to Islam by having
Muslim boys entrap them in love affairs’, it asked the State Government to
consider enacting a law to prohibit such “deceptive acts of LoveJihad”.
Notwithstanding denials by Islamic fundamentalist outfits
like National Democratic Front (NDF) and ‘Campus Front’ of Popular Front of
India (PFI), the Kerala Government said that 2,667 women had converted to Islam
in the State since 2006. Police figures on the other hand total over 8000
conversions in the last four years alone. Add to this another 60,000 girls have
been converted in Karnataka alone according to the Hindu Janajagruti
Samiti. In the last six months UP registered over 20 LJ cases.
Turn North, South, East or West, the story is the same.
Religion is turning out to be a question of money, big money. Recall, flush
with funds from their headquarters in the US, a number of church groups
allegedly converted hundreds of Hindus to Christianity in Tamil Nadu, Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Kashmir and Karnataka by giving them money and jobs in the
decades post Independence.
On the flip side, the VHP and Bajrang Dal too established
groups of armed youth, called Raksha Sena,
in every village of Chhattisgarh, in order to stop conversions to
Christianity. And where conversions had
taken place another movement called the Ghar
Wapsi (“Return Home”) was launched in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Orissa for reconverting the tribal Christian
back to Hinduism.
To put an end to this five States: Rajasthan, Orissa,
Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat have enacted anti-conversion laws
that bar conversions but allow re-conversions to Hinduism. Jharkhand has
declared its intention to enact a similar law.
Fortunately, the
Supreme Court settled this matter in 1973 wherein it distinguished between the
right to proselytize and the right to convert. Upholding the Constitutional
validity on anti-conversion laws enacted by Orissa and Madhya Pradesh in
1967-68, it ruled: “What the Constitution grants is not the right to convert
another person to one’s own religion, but to transmit or spread one’s religion
by an exposition of its tenders.” The Court also observed that organized
conversion was anti-secular and that respect for all religions was the essence
of India’s secularism.
It is time now for our
leaders to spare a thought for all those who have lost their lives in the
meaningless Love Jihad over the years
and delink religion and divisive grammar from politics, consider a ban on
divisive politics and open a “mohabbat ki
dukan in a nafrat ka bazaar.”
Importantly, they need
to understand that by playing Hindus and Muslims against each other they are
only serving their vested interests. The aim should be to raise the bar on
public discourse, not lower it any more. Parties and fringe elements need to
realize the collateral damage it causes will be permanent. Neither Lord Ram nor
will Allah forgive the polity for playing havoc in its name.
Let us not reduce LJ to a political gimmick. Our leaders
need to do a cost-benefit analysis and put a stop to
converting religious gush into political slush. True Love Jihad, anyone? ----- INFA
(Copyright India
News & Feature Alliance)
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