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Church, state concerned about ´love jihad´

Updated: October 13, 2009 08:08 AM GMT
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The Catholic Church in Kerala state has urged parents and teachers to be on the alert for an alleged extremist Islamic strategy to convert young women through marriage. A member of a Muslim group, however, has rejected such claims. The allegations came to light in a recent Kerala High Court case. In early September, two female students of a Catholic business school, a Hindu and a Christian, said they fell prey to a ploy by Muslim youths, a ploy that is now popularly called "love jihad" in the state. They said they were wooed by Muslim youths and fell in love with them. The women charged that the youths later forcibly converted them to Islam. The women were produced in court after their parents complained about their disappearance. The women were then allowed to leave with their parents. Two Muslim men allegedly associated with Campus Front, a student outfit of the Popular Front of India (PFI), a Muslim organization, have been denied bail. On Sept. 30, the court asked the state police and the federal government to investigate the phenomenon of "love jihad." The court asked the federal Home Ministry to find out the source of funding and the number of girls married through "love jihad" over the past three years. According to Indian media, the court also directed the state government to provide information on its views of the alleged practice. The Catholic Church in the state is watching developments closely. "It´s very important the Church should guard against such a movement," said Father Johny Kochuparambil, secretary of the Kerala Catholic bishops´ commission for social harmony and vigilance. He said such a phenomenon would disturb the state´s communal harmony and peace. However, Naseeruddin Elamaram, a lawyer and member of PFI´s topmost committee, has denied the charges against his organization. "Religious conversion is not a crime," he told UCA News. "Conversion takes place in Hinduism and Christianity also. One cannot paint all love affairs as cases of forced conversions meant for extremist activity," he said. Father Kochuparambil told UCA News that the alleged "love jihadi" (love warriors) are said to operate in campuses. They strive to win over young women´s confidence before proposing marriage, he added. "When the girl accepts the marriage, they are taken for conversion." Muslims account for 24 percent of Kerala´s 31.8 million people. Hindus, who form 56 percent, are the largest religious group, and Christians, who form 19 percent, come third. While still awaiting developments on the High Court inquiry, the Church commission has circulated guidelines among all churches and Church-managed educational institutions to help parents and teachers protect female students. It has urged parents and educational institutions to monitor their children´s activities. It wants parents to discourage children using mobile phones or spending long hours on the net. According to the "Times of India," High Court Judge K.T. Shankaran said that there are indications that several instances of "love jihad" had taken place in the state. Police official K.S. Gopakumar, who heads the probe, said the "love jihad "is an organized movement with a wide network that aims to lure girls, make them pregnant and dump them." He added, "It´s a very dangerous movement aiming to destabilize communal harmony." Estimates of the number of "love jihad" cases range from 4,000, the number suggested by the Hindu nationalist organization, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), to a police estimate of twice this figure. Meanwhile, Sriram Sena (army of Lord Ram), a right-wing Hindu group, has launched a poster campaign against "love jihad." The Hindu Aikya Vedi (Hindu united front), another Hindu organization, has set up a helpline for women lured into "love jihad."

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