Indian State Uttar Pradesh Passes Ordinance Against ‘Love Jihad’
Under the Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance 2020, it must be proved that the conversion was not made by force or marriage
WEB DESK: India’s second largest state Uttar Pradesh has approved an ordinance banning religious conversion to marriage. According to the ordinance, it must be proved that a woman is not converting to Islam for marriage.
The ordinance was approved under the patronage of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Under the Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance 2020, it must be proved that the conversion was not made by force or marriage.
In case of failure to prove it, imprisonment of one to five years is recommended.
In case of forcible conversion, the offender will be punished.
The punishment will be imprisonment for 3 to 10 years and a fine of INR 50,000.
However, notice for religious conversion will be issued to the district magistrate. The notice period was earlier one month which has now been extended to two months.
Uttar Pradesh Government Spokesman and Minister Siddharth Nath Singh asserted that the law needs to be implemented.
He said that law and order should be maintained in the state and justice should be provided to women.
He claimed that there had been more than 100 cases of forced conversions in Uttar Pradesh.
The ordinance will evolve into a law after it is approved and signed by the Governor.
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The High Court in the Indian city of Allahabad had declared conversion for marriage illegal.
After which Karnataka Tourism Minister and BJP general secretary CT Ravi said that the state would enact a law banning religious conversions for the sake of marriage.
Earlier, BJP-ruled states like UP, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh had announced the introduction of legal provisions against ‘Love Jihad’.
‘Love jihad’ is an Islamophobic theory in which Muslim men are accused of loving, marrying and forcibly converting women from non-Muslim communities.
The idea became the focus of national attention in India in 2009 when extremists dubbed religious conversion in Kerala as “Love Jihad”.
After this incident, the theory disseminated all over the country.
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