Love-jihad
Seriously?
If there ever were awards presented for the most idiotic,
cock and bull, xenophobic theory of paranoia then Love Jihad would claim the
Oscars hands down. I ignored it initially assuming that it was some form of right-wing
troll but by god, has it acquired some traction! A conspiracy in the absence of
one is just what we don’t need and it is exactly what is being lapped up by
many and quite sumptuously. The other conspiracy it reminded me of is that of
man’s first landing on the moon. Both sides try to make points but we all know
how that’s going to end.
The theory has ‘love’ and ‘jihad’ spoken in one breath, how
stupid can one be not to understand this basic contradiction in the name
itself?
The theory, broadly speaking, goes like this: Muslim men
lure innocent Hindu girls into ‘love traps’ (whatever that means) without
revealing their religion. They assume generic names like Sonu, Monu etc. and
sweet talk girls into falling for them. These men then marry, impregnate or
force these girls through one way or the other to convert to Islam. The
ultimate aim being changing the whole demographic structure of India and
reducing Hindus to a minority.
Take a moment and read the theory again. How incredibly
ingenious! What a master stroke! It not only plays along communal lines but
also threatens the family structure and our social fabric in one go. They (the
ones propagating this crap) put in forced marriage, forced conversions,
inter-religion marriage, minority insecurities etc. all in one pot and voila! A
heady mixture of fear, lies and paranoia. What impresses me however is the
sheer absurdity of this thought and the audacity with which some are spreading
it.
The problem begins with misinformation, that the guy does
not reveal his true identity. If the girl, consensually, falls in love with a
guy, should religion matter anyways? The intention is suspect but fraudulent
love claims are not only limited to Muslim guys. There are numerous cases of
guys from all religious backgrounds indulging in similar affairs for different
ends. Just watch a few episodes of Sawdhaan India (LOL!). Such cases outnumber
forces conversions any day. Read any of the respectable newspapers and you will
find love-jihad being declaimed by reports. Even media has caused some anxieties but who can blame them for cashing in some sensationalism(right?).The fact that such aims of
demographic transition is not at all possible in India should be enough for us
to dispel the fear (and why fear?) of its implications.
The question is how can proponents of this idea be so
insecure? How can they live their lives with so much of fear and hate? How can
they generalise and blame an entire community of being participant in such an
act? How can they not understand the ramifications of this fear-mongering? You
sir, are dividing my society. You are making my neighbours suspect me and I
them. If a Muslim boy was welcomed in a Hindu house like a son till yesterday,
tomorrow he will be suspected senselessly and through no fault of his own. Besides,
you are giving wrong ideas to wrong people. What if the idea boomerangs? What
if tomorrow the Hindu guys start doing the same because you gave them the idea?
Would you still speak so vehemently to protect Muslim girls? I know the answer;
you won’t.
Stop it! Just look at your kids and let them grow in a
fearless environment. Don’t dump your obnoxious ideas on them. Don’t make
liberals toe the hard line. Don’t feed on people’s insecurities. You might die
tomorrow but your poison may spread for generations to come.
Better yet, try for once in your life to turn the phrase
around and work towards jihad for love. Fight, so that love blossoms.
In the great words of well, mine: Spread love not Jihad!
Cheers!
