Love Jihad is real, Christian women being lured into trap : Kerala Church

 Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) – The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which is the biggest Christian community in Kerala, on 14^th January, expressed concern over the manner in which the Police are handling the issue of ‘Love Jihad’ in the State. The issue was raised during the Synod, which is the meeting of the Bishops at the church.

During the get-together that ended late night, people talked about the issue and blamed the State Police for not being able to implement effective measures to curb the menace of the practice and for not doing an effective policing job.

A press release from the media wing of the Syro-Malabar Synod, read, ‘It’s a matter of fact that planned ‘Love Jihad’ is happening, targetting Christian girls. According to what Police have said about the 21 who went to ISIS, half of them were Christian converts. It is a serious matter that many who are not in records are being converted and used for terrorist activities”.

The meeting further observed that the practice was preying on young Christian women who, according to the members in the meeting, have now become a target.

They said that while it all begins in the name of love, conversion takes place once the love settles in and it eventually leads to marriage.
Reports suggest that it was also said that ‘Love Jihad’ is ‘not imaginary’ and that girls are ‘sexually abused in the name of love’.

The meeting also talked about numbers, and the members said the official figures have proved that the actual situation is bad and that half of the 21 people who joined the Islamic State from Kerala in the past few years, were Christians. The members said that they wanted the Police to see the issue as a law and order problem instead of treating it like a religious issue and hoped that appropriate action would be taken to curb the situation.