‘Love jihad’ accusations against Indian Muslims racheting up tension, likelihood of violence.
The “love jihad” phenomenon – which may just be linked to a few religious-minded Romeos – could have been comical had it not deepened domestic hostility towards India’s Muslim minority. There are fears that the use of the word “jihad”, often interpreted as meaning holy war, may give extremist Hindu and Christian groups an excuse to justify attacks on Muslims.
“Certain fundamentalist groups that have been carrying out vigilante attacks against inter-community couples for several years have now started using the ‘love jihad’ theory to justify their attacks,” a police official told The Hindu newspaper. He did not name the groups, but was probably referring to the Sri Ram Sene and the Bajrang Dal, which target women and religious minorities.
Sri Ram Sene is now preparing for a nationwide campaign on the issue. Its leader, Pramod Mutalik, has said 150 party activists have been deployed in public places to keep an eye on “suspicious activities”. When a “love jihad” activity is identified, “it will be stopped then and there”, he said.
