Dissecting the fallacy of "Love Jihad"

Book: Love Jihad and Other Fictions: Simple Facts to Counter Viral Falsehoods

Authors: Sreenivasan Jain, Mariyam Alavi, Supriya Sharma 

Publisher: Aleph Book Company

Pages: 205

inam ul rehman

Whenever I hear “love jihad” I often laugh at this oxymoron term used by Hindutva groups in India. A Muslim man or a woman is forbidden to enter into any relationship before marriage. So, there cannot exist any “love jihad”. However, no matter how much you drill this point the Hindutva groups will not relent in using this terminology.  

 

The Hindutva people ascribe everything wrong in India to Muslim conspiracy. The Congress party for long has been described as “appeasing Muslims” while as the fact is that Muslims, which constitute 14 percent of Indian population are marginalised in every sector.  The Congress party other than offering lip service didn’t do anything for Muslims. Muslim percentage in government jobs is abysmal, their representation in state assemblies and parliament it is negligible. The Sachar committee report noted that Indian Muslims have low literacy rates with higher unemployment rates, to inadequate access to basic amenities. Yet, the Hindutva groups spread canard of Muslim appeasement in India. 

 

Three journalists, all former employees of the NDTV, which was once the premier broadcast news channel of India, have taken it on themselves to bust many myths which the Hindutva groups have created to malign and marginalise minority communities, in particular Muslims.  

 

Apart from love jihad, there is population jihad, land jihad, forced conversations and Muslim appeasement myths that are widely circulated in whatsapp universitates of Hindutva.  Through social media platforms, the authors assert, the Hindutva groups spread fear, paranoia, and false information against minorities particularly Muslims. To dispel these myths these authors, filed RTIs, checked government records, searched parliamentary questions, contacted leaders of the BJP and Sangh Parivar, went through academic research and not to forget did on the ground reportage. 

 

Sreenivasan Jain, Mariyam Alavi, Supriya Sharma,

ask the VHP, sister concern of the RSS, about number of love jihad marriages. The party provides them a catalogue of 147 media reports. “On closer analysis,” write authors, “73 or almost half of all entries were invalid. They were either dead links, repetitions, instances not related to India, links to statements by politicians and public figures, commentary pieces on love jihad, or articles that carried their own lists of so-called love jihad case.” About the remaining allegations the authors assert that love jihad has been liberally used on wherever Muslim men were accused of any crime. It is on this basis that the Hindutva groups allege that Muslims are doing religious demography change in India! 

 

The Hindutva narrative surrounding "love jihad" is steeped in hypocrisy, selectively targeting Hindu women-Muslim men relationships while ignoring similar instances involving Hindu men marrying Muslim women. Such malicious agendas raises one important and basic question: Is Hinduism a fragile religion that it will be swept away by a pinch of Muslims?  

 

It is ludicrous to think a population of 20 crore Muslims in India can demographically change a population of 125 crore Hindus! Hinduism is a strong religion it has survived and amalgamated Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Yet in 21st century the proponents of Hindutva are arguing that Hinduism in India is in danger!   

 

If these malicious tags would have remained active only during election times one would not have given any serious thought to it. However, when laws are made, and government investigation agencies are ordered to probe these malicious terms one has to question the rationale of the executive. When these pejorative tags are made socially acceptable, used to lynch, ostracise a particular community then that community being criminalised becomes a norm and everything wrong is blamed on them. Remember what happened to Jews in Germany. 

 

There is not a week gone by when one doesn’t hear action taken against Indian Muslims, be it in the form of lynching, beating, bulldozing their buildings, arresting on trivial charges, et al. The Hindutva brigade is playing up imaginary jihads as if the foundation of the Indian state will shake up if these trivial issues are not prevented. 

 

And as one knows it is not easy to sift wrong, fake, misleading information from social media platforms. It is incredible to think that Hindutva brigade is trying to daltise Muslims, relentless provoking them on many fronts. To the credit of Indian Muslims, as the authors state, they have not retaliated and entrusted their trust in the Indian state and in its institutions. 

Pic courtesy: the print India.