The Love Jihad Law or the Anti-Love Jihad Law is the new law passed by some state governments of India to curb the religious conversion of a person by using inappropriate means. In India, the number of people converting to Hinduism is far less than the number of people embracing other religions. Therefore, this law would benefit Hindus more than other religions.
What is Love Jihad?
Love Jihad or Romeo Jihad means “a holy war carried out by Muslim males/females using love as a weapon to marry non-Muslim persons with the sole purpose of converting them to Islam.” Some Hindu outfits have claimed that some organizations provide money and support to individuals to do so. Also, Muslim boys hide their identity and meet Hindu girls as Hindus, and once they fall in love convince them to marry and convert. Some people say there is nothing like Love Jihad, and it is just a conspiracy theory. While some people say that it is real, and there has been ample evidence to prove it.
Is Love Jihad Real or a Hoax?
Around 1,000 Christian and Hindu women in Pakistan are forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslim men every year, says a report released by Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP).
So far, the Indian police have not found any clear evidence that Love Jihad exists in India, but even if it does, it is hard to prove because it is impossible to know what is in the mind of a person.
There are a few individuals on Quora who claim it to be true.
https://www.quora.com/Is-love-jihad-really-happening-in-India-or-is-it-a-hoax?q=is%20love%20jihad%20
There have been some incidences where a few Hindu women were killed because they refused to convert after marriage.
1. A few days back, a Hindu woman was killed by her husband and his friend because she refused to convert to Islam after the marriage.
2. In another incident in Jharkhand, another woman was gang-raped and killed after she refused to convert.
Therefore, the Love Jihad might be there on an individual level, but so far, it is not proved that there is an organization behind it that gives money to Muslim youths to convert non-Muslim women. If it was so, some evidence must have been found.
Love-Jihad Law passed by Uttar Pradesh Government:
The official name of this law is Uttar Pradesh Vidhi Virudh Dharma Samparivartan Pratishedh Adhyadesh-2020.
Following are the provisions under this law:
1. Those found guilty of conversion done through “misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or by any fraudulent means” in contravention of the law would face a jail term of 1-5 years and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000.
2. In case such conversion is of a minor, a woman from the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, then those found guilty would have to face a jail term from 3-10 years, with a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.
3. On the other hand, if such conversion happens at the mass level, then those guilty would face a jail term from 3-10 years, with a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.
4. The marriage will become void if the “sole intention” of the same is to “change a girl’s religion.”
5. Under the new proposed law, anyone wanting to convert into another religion would have to give it in writing to the District Magistrate at least two months in advance. The government will prepare a format for the application, and the individual has to fill the application for conversion in that format.
6. Under the new law, it would be the responsibility of the one going for the religious conversion to prove that it is not taking place forcefully or with any fraudulent means. In case of any violation, one faces a jail term from 6 months to 3 years and a fine of a minimum of Rs. 10,000.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Love Jihad Law:
1. The law applies to all religions. Therefore, it is beneficial for all. If a person wants to convert to another religion, the government can make sure that there is no fraudulence involved. It has been observed that many Christian evangelists convert poor non-Christians by offering them jobs and money. Such incidents will stop/lessen in the future.
2. As far as marriages are concerned, those who love their partners and do not have any ulterior motives, do not have to worry about it. They can still marry each other without changing their religions. There are no restrictions on interfaith marriages.
3. This law doesn’t seem to be against Love Jihad only but is against all types of fraudulent conversions. There have been clashes over religious conversions between different religious organizations in India. This law will help decrease such incidents.
4. For honest people, there are no disadvantages to this law. Only those with evil ulterior motives might find this law inappropriate.
So far, only Yogi Adityanath government has passed and implemented this law in Uttar Pradesh. Other BJP-led state governments are also planning to implement the Love Jihad Law in their states. The governments of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have already started preparations for the same. Actually, this law should be implemented in the entire India.
Reference: Indian Express