Love Jihad: In Kerala, conversions are a systematic trap and hence don’t appear forced

The Hadiya case was up before the Supreme Court a couple of days back. The court said that Hadiya should be permitted to study and it would hear the matter pertaining to her marriage with a Muslim man at a later date.

There are a couple of questions up in this case. One, whether it was a case of forced conversion and secondly was it a case of Love Jihad. Hadiya who was Akhila before she converted has denied both.
The NIA was sent in to probe cases of forced conversions in Kerala. The investigations were detailed and revealed a scary picture. What proves to be a stumbling block in the investigation is that the design is so fool proof that it would not look like a case of forced conversion. The Constitution only bars forced conversions.

It is a systematic trap that is set which makes it harder to call it a case of forced conversion. The NIA team in Kerala had taken the accounts of several persons who narrate their trauma. In most cases, it has been found that the conversion in the first place is a trap.

First they identify the lady who has troubled relations with their parents. Then they speak about the benefits of being part of Islam and brainwash them into believing that there is more freedom and peace.

They are then taken to a conversion centre and ensure that the girl lives in some hostel and does not go home. When the girl fails to go home, the obvious missing complaint is filed by the parents. The girl is obviously tense with the complaint and that is when the final step comes in. They tell the girl that the only way out of the mess is to get married.

NIA officers tell OneIndia that this has been noticed in each of the cases. Very few cases are voluntary in nature, the officer adds. As the probe went on, more such cases came up before us, the officer said.

When one looks at the four step process, prima facie there appears to be no illegality committed. The Constitution only bars forced conversions.

NIA officials say that there is a sustained effort in Kerala to trap such women. The idea is to shake the social fabric of society. It is also aimed at creating a communal divide and this is very evident in Kerala, an officer probing the case informed.

OneIndia News