Love Jihad: Muslim Romeos and Hindu Juliets?

In 2012, an interesting Valentine’s Day-themed picture was circulated among certain groups in India. It showed a Muslim boy riding on a motorcycle with a Hindu girl. The girl was shown holding a pink, heart-shaped balloon and was clearly attracted to the boy. A symbolic call for Hindu-Muslim friendship in a country known for religious tensions? Well, not quite. The Internet poster was being forwarded by fringe, radical Hindu groups and served as a warning against “Love Jihad.”

Simply speaking, those who allege the existence of “Love Jihad’” claim that it is a scheme to propagate radical Islam through seduction. The young Muslim “Romeos,” it is believed, woo naïve non-Muslim girls into a relationship and finally into marriage. At this point they are said to inevitably reveal their true face, that of an Islamic radical, and force their new wives not only to convert but also to bring up their children as Islamic radicals. In simpler words, love is supposedly another tool of jihad.

The aforementioned picture was a warning issued by a fly-by-night group called the “Anti-Love Jihad Front.” The contents of this Internet poster included a mobile phone number, an e-mail address and contact via Facebook, all to be used by Hindu damsels in distress or their concerned brothers, in case one would witness a Hindu girl dating a Muslim boy.