Written by: Dhiraj Chapagain - 2022007, Grade X
Posted on: 04 March, 2021
According to Wikipedia, Jihad is an Arabic word that means striving or struggling with the praiseworthy aim. It could be an individual's internal struggle too. Jihad is often referred to or used in terms of making life or conforming to life with the rules of god or god’s guidance. It is usually the most misunderstood religious word. Jihad is a goal that can be achieved in any profession or any form of work. Now, coming towards the main topic, what actually is Love Jihad?
Love Jihad is a conspiracy theory which states that Muslim men target Hindu women for conversion to Islam by any means (marriage, kidnapping, seducing). Recently on 25 November 2020, four Indian states restricted ‘unlawful religious conversion’. Although there are no proofs or alleged facts of love jihad it is still a matter of fact that people are oppressed and are not free to make their own choices. A video clip from India in December got viral which showed a group of Hindu men harassing a woman. The so-called Hindu activists handed over a woman, her husband, and his brother to the police with the statement that it was love jihad. The police arrested the guy and took the woman to a government shelter. Later it was known that it was not a love jihad and the boy got bail. Although he got out of jail, the woman was pregnant and had a miscarriage. Young kids from UP and other Indian states are taught to use weapons and are forced to learn the use of swords. They are completely brain-washed and are told to use the weapons when they see any Muslim with a Hindu girl. This is purely and entirely a hindrance to someone's freedom of speech and freedom to enjoy rights with the exploitation of law. Love still remains dangerous and difficult, fighting against patriarchy, kinship, religion, caste, and family honor. I have a joke and it is on us that we believe we have freedom of speech and freedom to enjoy rights. While the constitution supports and states freedom of speech; still, political parties, press, and media hold the audacity to raise voice against someone’s private life. We still hear this or that comedian got arrested for making his opinions against a religion or a sensitive topic. Recently a huge jewelry brand Tanishq got backlash just because their ad featured an interfaith couple. Although these incidents and laws are from India, we are still not far away from implementing them. We are still a developing country imitating other developed or at least developed nations than us including India. Nepal implemented a new rule that any woman under the age of 40 must send an application to the ward office signed by the family before visiting any foreign country. How dumb we need to be to understand, this is radical oppression and indicates that women still need to be under the guidance of men. We seriously need to learn to make jokes and respect someone’s freedom of speech and freedom to enjoy their rights!
