The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday, 24 November, cleared the controversial ordinance on “inter-faith marriages with the sole intention of changing a girl’s religion”, with provision for a jail term of up to 10 years.
Earlier, BJP-ruled states – Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Assam – had promised laws against 'love jihad'.
The term 'love jihad' has been coined by the right-wing Hindutva activists and fanned by political parties and bigots.
‘Love jihad' is alleged as a conspiracy by the right-wingers. According to them, Muslim men lure Hindu women through love with the intent to convert them to Islam.
There is no term called ‘love jihad’ in the Constitution of India. According to Constitutional experts, ‘love jihad’ is a conspiracy theory – without evidence – and goes against the liberty of choosing one’s own partner from any religion or caste.
The bigots say that 'love jihad' should be brought in to protect the Hindu women. But is it really protecting the “women”?
The ‘love jihad' law snatches away the personal liberty, the freedom to choose ones own partner, the freedom to live on your own terms without being bothered by the state and law. Is it fair to live like a criminal for choosing the partner for yourself?
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