[Current Affairs] December 08,2020 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for Entry Test Preparation

2. The ‘Love Jihad’ Law in India

What’s going on? Over the past two weeks, police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) arrested 10 Muslim men under an anti-conversion law. According to four senior police officials, the 10 Muslim men were arrested after parents accused them of abducting their daughters. These men were allegedly coercing the women to change their religion after getting married.

The details: The law keeps a check on forced or fraudulent religious conversions. A couple belonging to different religions has to touch base with the district administration two months before their marriage, and only get married when the administration says ‘go-ahead.’ Under the law, authorities are especially suspicious of “love Jihad,” or Muslim men tricking Hindu women into love or marriage for the purpose of converting their religion.

Tell me more: For example, on December 2, police arrested 21-year-old Owais Ahmed, who was accused of pressuring a Hindu girl to convert and marry him. The girl’s parents filed a complaint against Ahmed. However, Ahmed’s father, Mohammad Rafiq, denied these accusations. In response to past allegations of Ahmed kidnapping the girl, Rafiq said she went back home after leaving willingly.

Looking ahead: Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heads the UP state govt. UP introduced the law on November 24. At least four other Indian states, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Assam, are planning to roll out similar anti-conversion laws.

The bottom line: Pakistan’s govt hasn’t directly commented on the anti-conversion law (yet), but local mainstream media is covering the recent arrests of 10 Muslim men. Kavita Krishnan, leader of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, slammed the law for attacking Muslims, and the autonomy of women. The law has faced criticism for targeting consensual interfaith relationships as well. Other critics have called the law “Islamophobic,” even though it doesn’t specifically name any religion.