By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: A petition has been submitted in the Kerala High Court demanding the withdrawal of the terms ‘love jihad’ and ‘romeo jihad’ which had been used by the court while considering the bail application of two young men last month. The petition was filed by Rajan Pallath, general secretary of the Association for Human Rights, via Adv Manjeri Sunder Raj who is a state leader of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties.
The petition reportedly says that the centres of power like the Kerala police, state Home Department, media and court were using the fake terms coined by the Hindutva forces like the VHP. It would destroy communal harmony. It was an organised plot to insult the followers of Islam. The deeds of a few individuals should not be taken as the general nature.
In addition, the petition reportedly says that Jihad in Islam was holy and was compulsory on every Muslim.
Connecting it with love was totally condemnable. Love is associated not only with the Muslim community. Cases like those have been reported in connection with other religions also. What is needed is a fair and unbiased investigation without adding the colour of religion to love. So, the fake propaganda should be corrected by the intervention of the court, says the petition.
The Arya Samaj centred in Kozhikode used to convert non-Hindus to Hinduism by performing marriage after puja. The petition also reportedly mentions that there had been widespread conversions to Christianity. The opinions of noted scholars regarding the meaning and scope of ‘jihad’ in Islam were also reportedly submitted along with the petition.
The terms ‘love jihad’ and ‘romeo jihad’ were reportedly being used by the Hindutva forces in relation with the marriage of non-Muslims with Muslims and their subsequent religious conversion. The terms, however, began to be widely used by the police, media, etc after the Kerala High Court mentioned the terms while considering the bail application of two young men last month. The court ordered the state DGP to conduct an investigation to find if there was an organisation named ‘love jihad’ or ‘romeo jihad’ functioning in Kerala. The DGP in his report stated that there was no such organisation or any organised attempts aiming at religious conversion in the state. The same opinion was shared by the central Home Department also in the High Court. The two reports have brought down the widespread propaganda against Muslims in general in the name of ‘love jihad’. However, the use of the terms, coined by the Hindutva forces for their agenda, by the Kerala High Court had created widespread alarm and discontent.
[Photo: TheHindu.com]