Love and Marriage as part of Islamic Jihad or a Hindutva conspiracy? Translated from Urdu by Raihan Nezami)

Muslims and Islamophobia

24 Sep 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com

Love and Marriage as part of Islamic Jihad or a Hindutva conspiracy?

This controversy started when two Muslim students of M.B.A fell in love with two Hindu girls studying in the same college in Trivandrum. The evolution of such delicate emotional relationships over time among college students is no bolt from the blue, but in this case its consequences were atrocious. This affair led to the expulsion of the Muslim students on the ground of creating trouble in college premises. This intimate relationship continued even after leaving the college, ultimately the girls left their parents' house to live with their lovers, which commonly happens in Indian society. As usual, the Hindutva parties raised a lot of hue and cry by accusing inter-religion love-marriages as a part of an international Jihadi conspiracy to use the Hindu girls for anti-national terrorist activities. -- Shakeel Shamshi (Translated from Urdu by Raihan Nezami) URL: http://newageislam.net/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1793 --------   Love and Marriage as part of Islamic Jihad or a Sangh Parivar conspiracy?   By Shakeel Shamshi Translated from Urdu by Raihan Nezami   "Love in Jihad" a new concept, is being developed and promoted in India by the communal forces of Sangh Parivar in connivance with the communal sections of media. It seems to be linked to the international conspiracy against Muslims and Deen-e-Islam. This malicious terminology was introduced by the communal leaders of U.P. when a particular Muslim youth had married a Hindu girl in Saharanpur. They accused the Muslim youths - that they are provoking the Hindu girls for solemnizing inter-religion love-marriages with an intention to utilize them for Jihadi purposes.   Now, after some time, the same voice is being raised in Kerala, thousands of kilometres away from U.P. The Kerala police have formed a special task force for investigating the role and connection of Jihadis, if they are promoting inter-community love-marriages as a part of international conspiracy for conducting anti-national activities with the help of these newly converted girls.   Mr. Jackob Panose, the D.G.P of Kerala police, showing extreme meanness, has confirmed that such an investigation is being conducted to find out the reality behind the rising trend of love-marriages. This irresponsible statement by an officer of high rank will certainly hurt the feelings of the secular citizens of the country.   This controversy started when two Muslim students of M.B.A fell in love with two Hindu girls studying in the same college in Trivandrum. The evolution of such delicate emotional relationships over time among college students is no bolt from the blue, but in this case its consequences were atrocious. This affair led to the expulsion of the Muslim students on the ground of creating trouble in college premises. This intimate relationship continued even after leaving the college, ultimately the girls left their parents' house to live with their lovers, which commonly happens in Indian society. As usual, the Hindutva parties raised a lot of hue and cry by accusing inter-religion love-marriages as a part of an international Jihadi conspiracy to use the Hindu girls for anti-national terrorist activities.   The parents of the girls could not lodge a petition of kidnapping against the Muslim youths because the girls were adults but they filed an appeal - PIL, in a Kerala high court. The girls were sent to the parents' house for a week in place of keeping them in Nari Niketan, and then, the nature of the entire case changed. The girls changed their statements and attitude. They may have been forced by the Hindutva forces or threatened by the parents to change their mind and statement. They deserted the Muslim boys. The girls, on the second date, asserted that they were forced for the marriage and were provided Jihadi literature in the hostel rooms by their lovers. As a matter of fact, the Muslim boys had handed over some Islamic books to the girls to study and understand Deen-e-Islam before converting to it. I would request the D.G.P of Kerala police to release to the Press the Islamic literature found in the hostel rooms or from the boys' houses to clear all confusion.   This particular incident needs earnest attention as the Hindutva organizations are on an awful mission to devastate the career and prospects of those Muslim boys who happen to fall in love with and marry Hindu girls. On the other hand, they are very eager to promote and encourage Muslim girls who dare to damage their true religion by marrying a Hindu boy. As an eye-opener we can look into the incident that took place in Kashmir when a Muslim girl had married a Hindu boy. The girl had been given all sorts of protection and support, in contrast to that, even the advocates had made miserable the life of the Muslim boy of Saharanpur who had married a Hindu girl.   Such organizations possess a particular thinking behind these anti-social activities. They feel humiliated and disgraced if the girl of their community is married in any other community and feel grand and privileged if the boy is married to the girl of any other community. So they sternly oppose the marriage of the girls of their community. This is absolutely wrong; they should behave in the same manner in both cases.   Another point of view that is working behind such activities is that – the victims of Cupid are considered lowly and disgraced if they fall in love. The condition in the remote areas of the country is even worse. The Panchayats of the villages inflict severe punishments on such people. The girls who leave their houses with their lovers are called absconding; in the case of the boys their behaviour is a bit encouraging and soft. The girls in love are called disgraceful and scandalous and also considered of bad character even though they might be entangled with a boy of their own community.   This situation is not so bad in cities now as it was about 50 years ago, in comparison to the villages where love marriages are still considered an unpardonable sin. Hence, in such a situation falling in love with a boy of other community is terribly dangerous – where even "Gotra" is of utmost importance in the cases of love and marriages within the same community. Thus, before making any statement or accusation, the mentality and the thinking of the Indian society must be kept in mind in respect of the attitude towards love marriage.    Obviously, the sponsor of the investigation supposed to be done by the Kerala police is  Sangh Parivar, who firmly believe - that the Muslim boys are marrying Hindu girls for a particular reason, not for the sake of love – that the Muslim girls, who wish to marry a Hindu boy are being attracted towards Hinduism due to its good qualities.  It is an absolutely wrong notion if someone converts to any religion for the sake of marriage, the one and only stimulus behind this decision is love.   In my opinion, converting to any religion without a sincere consideration and proper understanding, just for the fulfilment of the tumultuous feelings of love, is a deliberate blunder. This type of conversion is fake and baseless, but I strongly believe; no force should be applied on the love-birds as they deserve to be given all sorts of protection and support without charging or blaming them in the name of culture, society or religion. Anyway, the Muslim youths should be cautious and alert in such matters after the recent developments, otherwise they may be victimized by the police in the name of the new terminology – Jihadi marriage. (Translated from Urdu by Raihan Nezami)  URL: http://newageislam.net/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1793