Following the example of the Idukki diocese, the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) affiliated with the Thamarassery diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church has declared its intention to showcase “The Kerala Story” in all its branches. This film, released in 2023, sparked accusations from political circles of promoting Islamophobia.
This has revived the discussion about the movie ‘The Kerala Story’, which revolves around 4 women hailing from Kerala who were compelled to embrace Islam and become associated with the Islamic State, as highlighted in the 2017 NIA charge sheet involving Sonia Sebastian, Merin Jacob, and Nimisha Nair. This occurrence sparked significant discourse in Kerala regarding the concept of “love jihad.”
TG Mohandas, speaking on ABC Malayalam news channel, made a shocking disclosure about older cases of love jihad involving Kerala girls. These cases highlight how young women were ensnared under the pretext of love and coerced into converting to Islam. Mohandas substantiated his claims with data extracted from past reports by the Kerala High Court and special investigations conducted by the Kerala Police.
TG Mohandass begins by recounting Justice KT Sankaran’s observation from 2009 regarding the presence of coercive religious conversions disguised as acts of love in Kerala. The court urged the government to consider implementing legislation to prohibit such deceitful practices. The court emphasized that “Under the pretext of love, there cannot be any compulsive, deceptive conversion.” Justice KT Sankaran made these remarks while rejecting the anticipatory bail pleas of two individuals accused of involvement in ‘love jihad’ activities. These activities allegedly involved enticing girls from other religions to marry Muslim boys with the intent of converting them to Islam. Upon reviewing the case records of ‘love jihad’ incidents, Justice Sankaran concluded that there were clear indications of forced religious conversions taking place.
According to Justice KT Sankaran, police reports indicated a deliberate effort to convert girls from a specific religion to another, with the support of certain groups. The court emphasized that this issue should concern the public, and it is the government’s responsibility to safeguard citizens’ fundamental rights. The court urged the legislature to consider passing laws to prevent coercive religious conversions, stating that using force to spread religion is illegal and could lead to law and order issues.
Citing statistics, the court noted that in the past four years, there have been 3,000 to 4,000 instances of religious conversions following romantic relationships. Police reports indicate that groups like the National Democratic Front (NDF), PFI, and Campus Front have established bases in college campuses across various cities.
It was revealed that the strategy involved targeting highly talented girls from affluent Hindu and Christian families. While there is no nationwide evidence of ‘love jihad’, the court observed that the program allegedly began in 1996 with the support of certain Muslim organizations.
Mohandas expresses empathy even as the Manmohan Singh administration permits state governments to pass laws prohibiting religious conversion through inducement or coercion. States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha have adopted these measures. He ironically notes that it was not the Modi government but the Congress government under Manmohan Singh in 2009 that initiated this, challenging the opposition’s narrative that the BJP champions Hindu interests.
Mohandas also shared some excerpts from the case. He said, “Another report says that the enquiry by the Special Branch reveals that fundamental outfits like NDF, PFI, Campus Front has roots in college campuses in the City referred to therein (Kozhikode). Referring to Campus Front, it is stated in the report thus: “As per the available information, the plan of this organization is to trap brilliant upper caste Hindu and Christian girls from the well-do family, especially those who are studying for professional courses and employed in IT sectors.”
Kerala: A Special Branch report by the Kerala police stated that Islamist groups like the Popular Front of India (PFI) target upper-caste Hindu girls from well-to-do families working in the IT sector and other professional fields.
Source: ABC Malayalam pic.twitter.com/GXxot2IMEp
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It is believed that Muslim organisations like Muslim Youth Forum and Muslim Women’s organisations like Thasreen Millat, Shaheen Force, Popular Front of India, National Democratic Front, and its student organizations like Campus Front are the organizations behind the so-called Love Jihad movement. There is no concrete evidence to show the financial status of the organization. But it is known that they get support and financial assistance from National Democratic Front and Popular Front of India. Some other Muslim fundamental organizations are also arranging money from some foreign countries in Gulf. But the veracity of this information has to be ascertained,” he added.
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