Love Jihad (also known as Romeo Jihad) is a term used to describe an alleged campaign by Muslim men to target non-Muslim women, particularly Hindu women, for conversion to Islam through seduction, feigned love, deception, or marriage.[1][2] The concept is described as a conspiracy theory by international bodies and media outlets.[3][4] It has been used by Hindu nationalist organisations and has been the subject of significant political and legal debate in India, particularly since the late 2000s.[5][6]
The term "Love Jihad" first emerged as a concept in 2007, used by members of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), a Hindu nationalist organisation, while opposing interfaith couples in public spaces in Karnataka.[2] The phrase gained wider prominence in 2009 during a court case in Kerala involving two non-Muslim girls who had eloped with their Muslim boyfriends. While hearing bail petitions, the presiding judge ordered a police investigation into what was termed the "Romeo Jihad/Love Jihad movement," marking the first legal mention of the term.[1] A subsequent police inquiry found no evidence supporting the existence of such a movement.[7]
Origin and History[edit | edit source]
The phrase "Love Jihad" appeared first as a conspiracy theory in 2009 by the Sanatan Prabhat and the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and was later picked up by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad.[8] The term gained national attention in 2009 when the Karnataka High Court directed police to investigate allegations of "love jihad" related to an interfaith marriage case. Following a thorough investigation, the police concluded that "there seems to be no prima facie evidence of 'love jihad'".[7]
In 2009, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council also played a role in amplifying the term Love Jihad, claiming that up to 4,500 women had been "conned into converting."[1]
Legal Framework[edit | edit source]
In November 2020, Uttar Pradesh became the first Indian state to enact a law against "forced" or "fraudulent" religious conversions, commonly referred to as the "Love Jihad law."[9] The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, was promulgated with the approval of the Governor. According to the ordinance, a marriage would be declared null and void if a woman converts into another religion solely for the purpose of marriage.[9]
The law was enacted in the backdrop of a concerted campaign by the Bharatiya Janata Party against "love jihad."[5] However, the actual law made no reference to "love jihad" and was neutral in its scope.[10] In 2021, while responding to Public Interest Litigations challenging the constitutional validity of its unlawful conversion law, the Uttar Pradesh government stressed that nowhere in the draft of the law had the term "love jihad" been employed.[10]
In 2024, the Uttar Pradesh government introduced the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposed life imprisonment and fines up to ₹10 lakh for those found guilty of coercing religious conversions.[11][12] The amendment also increased penalties for mass conversions to 7-14 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹1 lakh.[11]
In Karnataka, the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, received the Governor's assent in September 2022.[13] The law prohibits conversion "from one religion to another by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage".[14] Converting a minor, woman, or an SC/ST person attracts a jail term of 3-10 years.[14]
As of January 2023, a total of 11 out of 28 Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, have enacted anti-conversion laws.[1] These laws could render interfaith marriages, allegedly entered into for the sole purpose of conversion, null and void, carrying penalties of up to 5-10 years in prison.[1]
Court Mentions of "Love Jihad"[edit | edit source]
The number of court documents (judgments and orders) mentioning the term "Love Jihad" across major Indian High Courts, based on available data from Indian Kanoon and related reports, has been steadily rising in India since 2023:[15]
| Year | All Courts | Kerala High Court | Allahabad High Court | Madhya Pradesh High Court | Karnataka High Court | Bombay High Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Criticism and support[edit | edit source]
In December 2025, the NBDSA ordered five television news channels—India TV, News18 MP Chhattisgarh, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Zee News, and ABP News—to take down broadcasts in which they claimed that NCERT textbooks were promoting "Love Jihad."[16] The controversy had erupted from a letter printed in an outdated Class III EVS NCERT book in a chapter called 'Chitti Aayi Hai' (letter has arrived), in which a woman named Reena was shown to have written a letter addressed to a man named Ahmed.[16] The NBDSA noted that the programme structures "showed a lack of objectivity" and directed the broadcasters to take down the videos within seven days.[16]
Demographic data from the Pew Research Center contradicts the premise of "love jihad." According to Pew, India's religious composition has remained stable since independence. Between 1951 and 2011, the Hindu population went from 84.1 per cent to 79.8 per cent, while the Muslim population only grew by 4.4 per cent from 9.8 per cent to 14.2 per cent.[17] A comprehensive survey by the Pew Research Center found that religious conversion in India is extremely rare and largely balanced across communities.[18] Only 0.4 per cent of Indians said they were raised Hindu but now identify as Christian, while 0.1 per cent reported switching from Christianity to Hinduism.[18] According to the Pew Report, 99 per cent of married people in India share the same religion as their spouse.[19]
Bahu Lao, Beti Bachao is a campaign planned by Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), to encourage young Hindu men to marry non-Hindu girls and to create awareness among Hindu girls about Love Jihad.[20][21][22]
On 8 September 2021, Bishop of the Eparchy of Palai Joseph Kallarangatt sparked a major controversy during a sermon at Kuravilangad Church, when he claimed that "love jihad" was real and that there was also a "narcotics jihad" targeting youths by radicals as a means of indirect war to annihilate the non-Muslim population.[23][24] The remarks attracted immediate, widespread commentary and mixed reception, even from within the Christian community.[25]
On 31 December 2022, the Indian right-wing news portal OpIndia published an list and analysis of 153 cases of alleged "Love Jihad" that it had reported on during the year 2022.[26][27] OpIndia continued its annual documentation of alleged "Love Jihad" cases in subsequent years. In January 2024, it published a similar analysis for the year 2023, again listing 153 cases, with Uttar Pradesh recording the highest number (69), followed by Madhya Pradesh (22) and Gujarat (12).[28]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Love Jihad Conspiracy Theory" (PDF). Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Roots And Evolution Of The Myth Of 'Love Jihad' In Kerala". Outlook India. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Legislation as Disinformation: The Love Jihad Conspiracy Theory in Law and Lived Experience". Social and Legal Studies. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Ismat Ara on India's Crackdown on Love". The Diplomat. 28 September 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "UP: 'Love Jihad' Conspiracy Takes on New Colour as Muslim Women Now Painted as the Villains". The Wire. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "India Cracks Down on Hindu-Muslim Couples Under "Love Jihad" Laws". The Revealer. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "HC rules out Love Jihad". The Hindu. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Assam CM Says Law Against 'Love Jihad' Will Have Provisions to Arrest Parents of Male Accused". The Wire. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Uttar Pradesh Governor Gives Assent to 'Love Jihad' Ordinance". The Wire. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Courting Controversy: With Use of Legally-Undefined 'Love Jihad', Bareilly Judge Reproduced BJP's Views". The Wire. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Uttar Pradesh Tightens Anti-Conversion Law Amidst Controversy". PPI News Agency. 31 August 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Now lifer for 'Love Jihad' and 'Paper Leak' in UP". UNI India. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Mangaluru 'Love Jihad' allegation: Woman left home voluntarily, say police". The News Minute. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Anti-conversion ordinance becomes law in Karnataka as Governor gives nod". Deccan Herald. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Indian Kanoon Search: "love jihad"". Indian Kanoon. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Zee, ABP, News 18, India TV face NBDSA flak for 'Love Jihad' spin to NCERT text book lesson". Alt News. 8 December 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Population Growth and Religious Composition". Pew Research Center. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Delhi Police debunks woman's viral 'religious conversion' claim". National Herald. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "'The Kerala Story': How an Indian film ignited violence against Muslims and challenges to interfaith marriage". The Conversation. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ Mishra, Ishita (29 December 2014). "Bajrang Dal to launch 'bahu laao, beti bachao' in February". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ↑ Bahu lao, beti bachao: Bajrang Dal launches its own version of 'love jihad'
- ↑ Bajrang Dal to launch 'Bahu Lao, Beti Bachao' campaign to counter 'Love Jihad': Report
- ↑ "Kerala bishop claims Muslims have launched 'narcotics jihad', faces criticism". Scroll.in. 10 September 2021.
- ↑ Philip, Shaju (10 September 2021). "Non-Muslims are targets of 'narcotic jihad': Kerala bishop". The Indian Express.
- ↑ Krishnakumar, R. (8 October 2021). "Pulpit polemics: Bishop's homily on 'narcotic jehad' catches Kerala by surprise". Frontline. The Hindu Group.
- ↑ "Force-feeding beef, hiding marriage and Muslim identity to forced conversion to Islam: Analysis of 153 cases of Love Jihad that OpIndia covered in 2022". OpIndia. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Force-feeding beef, hiding marriage and Muslim identity to forced conversion to Islam: Analysis of 153 cases of Love Jihad that OpIndia covered in 2022". OpIndia. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- ↑ "Rape and assault; beheading threats to force-feeding beef to Nikah and more: 153 cases of 'Love Jihad' which OpIndia covered in 2023". OpIndia. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Dalwai, Sameena (2023). Love Jihad: A Feminist Retelling. Penguin Random House.
- Ara, Ismat (2024). Under a Saffron Sky: Inside India's Crackdown on Love.