In India, Hindu nationalist groups have been propagating the “love jihad” conspiracy theory for years. This postulates that Muslim men would seek to seduce Hindu women to convert them to Islam and seize power. Using victim testimonies and analysis, the France 24 Observers newsroom investigated the disinformation and propaganda network associated with this discourse that divides Muslims and Hindus.
In India, Muslims have been accused of carrying out “land jihad”, “Covid jihad”, “population jihad” or even “rice jihad”. But these accusations are probably unrelated to the “love jihad” conspiracy theory, which has taken deep root in Indian society.
According to this theory, the Muslim community would strategically target vulnerable Hindu women, seduce them, and force them to convert to Islam. This unsubstantiated narrative has raised widespread suspicions about Muslim men who dare to interact with Hindu women.
Beaten up for talking to a Hindu classmate
Shahbaz Khan is a Computer Science Master’s student in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. A video of him being beaten has gone viral on social media. Her attackers accused him of approaching a girl and threatening to kill her if she did not marry him. Shahbaz assured him that he knew the girl from his village and that they were only talking about books.
The editorial team of France 24 Observers made contact with one of Shahbaz’s attackers, who belongs to a group called the “Hindu Student Army”. They confirmed that their organization suspected Shahbaz of carrying out the “jihad of love”, which he describes as an “Islamic conspiracy”.
According to Raqib Hameed Naik, founder of the ‘Hindutva Watch’ website, which documents cases of far-right Hindu hate and violence, Muslim men in India are attacked and threatened even for walking or having coffee with a Hindu friend.
The consequences can be even worse for those who have relationships with Hindu women. Witness the story of Asif Khan and Sakshi Sahu: friends since high school, then lovers, they decided to get married in 2022. But the girl’s family tried their best to prevent Asif and Sakshi from seeing each other and even tried to arrange another marriage. for her.
The couple ended up running away to get married, but Sakshi’s family accused Asif of kidnapping her. The accusation sparked a manhunt in her city, led by police, local political leaders and members of Hindu nationalist self-defense groups.
Asif and Sakshi were able to take refuge and were eventually granted a protection order after a judge ruled that their marriage was valid and consensual. But, back home, things got worse. The family businesses were demolished, as was the young man’s house. The couple now lives in anonymity, Asif and Sakshi fear for their lives.
These two stories are not isolated cases in an India where the “jihad of love” has far-reaching effects on Muslim men who have friendships or relationships with Hindu women. This theory is widely held by members of the Hindu nationalist extreme right.
At the heart of India’s political landscape is an organization that wields considerable influence: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Founded in 1925 and inspired by European fascist movements, the RSS is a Hindu nationalist voluntary organization with an extensive network of affiliated organizations across the country, operating in all aspects of Indian life. The political wing of the RSS is none other than the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The RSS follows an ideology known as Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, which emphasizes the unity of the Hindu people. The ideology is also criticized for its supremacy, which seeks to exclude Muslims and Christians.
Many influential BJP leaders hail from the RSS, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The RSS’s ideological orientation is evident in the BJP’s political agenda, which is often aligned with Hindutva principles such as protecting Hindu interests, promoting Hindu culture, and opening up pathways to facilitated citizenship for non-Muslims in Pakistan. , Bangladesh or Afghanistan, despite India’s secular status since independence in 1947.
The BJP seized power in India in 2014, with the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was re-elected in 2019. Today, ten of India’s 28 states are also governed by this party.
“The jihad of love is one of the pillars of his anti-Muslim rhetoric”
‘Hindutva Watch’ documents the rise in violence and discrimination as Hindu nationalist ideologies take hold in India. Its founder, Raqib Hameed Naik, details:
In the last five months alone, we have documented more than 100 events and rallies involving hundreds of thousands of people against the “jihad of love”, in states like Maharashtra. “Love jihad” is one of the main pillars of his anti-Muslim rhetoric.
(The Bajrang Dal) is implicated in almost all acts of violence committed against religious minorities in India. Over the past nine years, these groups have expanded their reach, influence, and operations.
They have recently led a campaign to arm Hindus by distributing swords and spears.”
A misinformation war
This “jihad of love” myth is also spreading, of course, on social media and messaging apps. False stories claim that Muslim men seduce and forcefully marry Hindu women by hiding their identity and raping them.
Some of the messages posted online are clearly propaganda. The cartoons depict Muslim men as extremists attacking overly naive Hindu women.
Other posts are clearly misinformation, taking photos or videos out of context that feed into a false “love jihad” narrative.
What is it really? There is no evidence of a “love jihad” operation in India.
The term “love jihad” arose in 2009 when Christian and Hindu groups denounced a secret and well-financed campaign to convert young girls to Islam in the southern state of Kerala.
The Kerala High Court ruled on the cases of two female students, a Hindu and a Christian, who were allegedly forced to convert to Islam after marrying Muslim men. The court ordered the police to investigate the allegations, but dismissed the case after the police determined that “there is no clear evidence about the operation of the said organization.”
In 2017, India’s National Investigation Agency launched another investigation into the “love jihad” cases. Again, the agency found no evidence of a forced conversion campaign. A year later, the Indian Supreme Court also rejected this theory.
In an in-depth survey on religion, tolerance and segregation in India in 2021; the Pew Research Center concludes that less than 1% of Indian marriages are between people of different faiths. In particular, the survey reveals that between 76% and 80% of Muslims said they consider it “important” to prevent men and women in their community from marrying outside their religion, more than any other religious group.
Finally, the Pew Research Center study finds that there have been no significant changes in India’s Hindu population due to conversions.
As for the victims we spoke to as part of our investigation, Shabhaz and Asif, they say they currently live in fear.
कलेक्टर श्री रत्नाकर झा ने डिंडोरी जिले में छात्रा के अपहरण के मामले में आरोपी आसिफ खान के दुकान और मकान को जमींदोज कर दिया गया है। दो दिवस तक आरोपी आसिफ खान के दुकानों सहित उसके अव ैध मकान पर कार्रवाई की गई है।#MafiaMuktMP#sashaktmp @CMMadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/Kcf6DIGAJC
— Collector Dindori (@dindoridm) April 8, 2022
The consequences of a ‘love jihad’ charge can also be life-threatening: In September 2021, Arbaaz Aftab Mullah, a 24-year-old Muslim from Karnataka, was found stabbed and dismembered with his hands tied. He had started a relationship with his neighbor, a young Hindu woman.
“The jihad of love is one of the most dangerous tools used by the Hindu far right to spread fear.”
According to Raqib Hameed Naik, the accusations of “love jihad” serve to further divide the Hindu and Muslim communities:
In India today, the jihad of love is one of the most dangerous tools used by the Hindu far right to stoke fear, mistrust, create animosity and normalize acts of violence against Muslims.
Muslims are presented as a threat to the Hindu community, with the aim of demonizing, dehumanizing and criminalizing their entire existence.
The editorial team of France 24 Observers would like to thank Sarah Khan for her help, research and translations for this research.
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