The role of the Church in Kerala’s politics
1 year, 3 months ago

The role of the Church in Kerala’s politics

Hindustan Times  

Bins Abraham owns a 12-acre rubber plantation in Erattupetta, a plantation town nestled in the foothills of the Western Ghats. Though the term “love jihad” was coined by Right-wing Hindu groups in 2007, the Catholic Church in Kerala began to use it as an instrument to discourage inter-religious marriages. In January 2020, the synod or highest administrative body of Syro-Malabar Church chaired by Cardinal George Alencherry had issued a circular equating “love jihad” with the Islamic State's execution of female Christian captives in Nigeria. “Even if BJP is creating a Hindu Rashtra, Christians would be safe in it,” said Abraham, who has worked for the Kerala Congress factions. In that process, we are discovering that not Hindus but Islamists are the enemies,” said Magi Kallarakkal, a former Kerala Congress activist and now a state-level functionary of BJP's minority morcha.

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History of this topic

Telangana BJP MP Appeals Christians' Support Against Love Jihad, Tears Bangladesh Flag During Goa Event
1 month ago

Telangana BJP MP Appeals Christians' Support Against Love Jihad, Tears Bangladesh Flag During Goa Event

ABP News  

Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh gave controversial remarks on Sunday appealing to Christians to join hands with Hindus for the united fight against "love jihad" which is affecting both religions. Addressing a Bajrand Dal rally at Curchorem in south Goa, the BJP legislator said India won't have a Hindu prime minister in the next 20 to 30 years if …

Amid simmering Christian-Muslim rivalry, BJP tries to gain a toehold in Kerala
8 months, 1 week ago

Amid simmering Christian-Muslim rivalry, BJP tries to gain a toehold in Kerala

The Hindu  

Public broadcaster Doordarshan telecast The Kerala Story, a film that seeks to tarnish the State and particularly its Muslims, in the midst of the election campaign. All you need to know about the Lok Sabha election in Kerala Population growth is declining for all communities across the country and in Kerala, but this decline is uneven across regions and communities. …

Jose K. Mani interview | ‘Primary focus of INDIA bloc is to articulate a narrative against BJP’
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Jose K. Mani interview | ‘Primary focus of INDIA bloc is to articulate a narrative against BJP’

The Hindu  

Jose K. Mani, chairman of the Kerala Congress, a constituent of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala, also serves as one of the campaign managers of the INDIA bloc at the national level. The KC is locked in a tight fight with Kerala Congress, which is part of the United Democratic Front, to retain the Kottayam seat in the 2024 …

Church retells ‘Kerala Story’; takes up ‘love jihad’ as topic for teen meeting
9 months ago

Church retells ‘Kerala Story’; takes up ‘love jihad’ as topic for teen meeting

New Indian Express  

KOCHI : That the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church continues to maintain its stance that ‘love jihad’ does exist was strengthened when its Idukki eparchy prepared material that touched on the topic for students of classes XI and XII as part of a recent diocese-wide three-day gospel convention. The eparchy also directed all parishes conducting the convention to screen the controversial movie, …

Week after joining BJP, Kerala Orthodox Syrian Church priest removed from posts
1 year ago

Week after joining BJP, Kerala Orthodox Syrian Church priest removed from posts

Hindustan Times  

A week joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, a priest belonging to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala was stripped of his official responsibilities within the Church on account of some complaints that have been raised against him, officials said. HT Image Fr Shaiju Kurian, who served as secretary of the Nilackal diocese of the Church, and …

‘Lot of Anger…’: Has Manipur Violence Caused Setback to BJP’s Christian Outreach in Kerala?
1 year, 7 months ago

‘Lot of Anger…’: Has Manipur Violence Caused Setback to BJP’s Christian Outreach in Kerala?

News 18  

The BJP has been trying to reach out to the Christian community in Kerala with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on March 2 that the party will come to power in the southern state, the same way that the cadre had been revived in the northeast and Goa. Even though the Kerala BJP has denied this, the violence in Manipur …

OPINION | HOW TO PREVENT ‘LOVE JIHAD’
1 year, 7 months ago

OPINION | HOW TO PREVENT ‘LOVE JIHAD’

India TV News  

LOVE JIHAD : Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s youth outfit Bajrang Dal has announced that it would set up “Anti-Romeo Force” to protect Hindu daughters if police fails to stop incidents of ‘love jihad’. After a jilted Muslim lover Sahil stabbed a Hindu girl Sakshi to death, it was found that he was wearing ‘kalaava’ and a ‘rudraksh mala’ to fool the …

If ‘The Kerala Story’ Was a Work of Pure ‘Fiction’, Liberal-Secular-Islamists Won’t Have Felt So Insecure - News18
1 year, 7 months ago

If ‘The Kerala Story’ Was a Work of Pure ‘Fiction’, Liberal-Secular-Islamists Won’t Have Felt So Insecure - News18

News 18  

It is said that 2014 was a landmark year in Indian politics because it ushered in a movement that eventually caused a decisive shift in the ‘Overton window’. According to her, the “main elements of the strategy” include the reduction of women “to the status of reproductive machines for the purpose of demographic transformation”, taking “advantage of the focus on …

The Kerala Story: Dirty Secrets Tumble out of Left-‘Liberal’ Closet as India Discusses ‘Love Jihad’ - News18
1 year, 8 months ago

The Kerala Story: Dirty Secrets Tumble out of Left-‘Liberal’ Closet as India Discusses ‘Love Jihad’ - News18

News 18  

The Kerala Story is now banned in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal. Human rights and women’s rights and immigrants’ rights.” When Aiyar asked what he would have done had he been a European policymaker, pat came the reply: “I would change their laws to stop all this immigration.” It is this liberal proclivity to turn a blind eye to growing Islamist assertion …

Time for 'liberals' to wake up and smell 'The Kerala Story': Love jihad is real and not figment of Hindutva imagination
1 year, 8 months ago

Time for 'liberals' to wake up and smell 'The Kerala Story': Love jihad is real and not figment of Hindutva imagination

Firstpost  

The Kerala Story is now banned in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal. Human rights and women’s rights and immigrants’ rights.” When Aiyar asked what he would have done had he been a European policymaker, pat came the reply: “I would change their laws to stop all this immigration.” It is this liberal proclivity to turn a blind eye to growing Islamist assertion …

Video of former Kerala CM Achuthanandan warning about Islamist agenda in old interview goes viral
1 year, 8 months ago

Video of former Kerala CM Achuthanandan warning about Islamist agenda in old interview goes viral

Op India  

Amidst the ongoing controversy over the movie “The Kerala Story,” a clip from an old interview of former Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist stalwart V S Achuthanandan from the year 2010 is making the rounds on social media. While Kerala Catholic Bishops Council had asserted that more than 4,500 girls in Kerala have been the target of …

As BJP Woos Kerala Church, What Does Christian Leaders' Meet With Modi Indicate?
1 year, 8 months ago

As BJP Woos Kerala Church, What Does Christian Leaders' Meet With Modi Indicate?

The Quint  

“There is growing anxiety over what is being perceived as stagnation of Christian population in the state. Among Catholic churches there are those which have promised incentives for married couples who would want more than one or two children,” a church elder of a prominent church in Kozhikode told The Quint on condition of anonymity. While demographically, there is no …

BJP’s Christian outreach in Kerala leaves Congress and CPI(M) watchful
1 year, 9 months ago

BJP’s Christian outreach in Kerala leaves Congress and CPI(M) watchful

The Hindu  

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s active outreach to the Christian community has seemingly put the Congress and Communist Party of India on their guard. Satheesan said the BJP leaders called on Bishops on Easter Sunday to camouflage the Sangh Parivar’s “crimes” against Christians and other minorities. Govindan said the “pro-BJP statements” from two Church leaders in Kerala contrasted starkly with the …

Kerala: Muslim outfit SIO files case against Christian organization CASA for creating awareness against Love Jihad
1 year, 10 months ago

Kerala: Muslim outfit SIO files case against Christian organization CASA for creating awareness against Love Jihad

Op India  

On 24th February 2023, the Muslim outfit Students Islamic Organization filed a complaint against a Christian organization, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action in the Wayanad district of Kerala. SIO Wayanad district president Muneeb N Azhari filed this complaint to the Pulpally police against the Wayanad district CASA committee office bearers. CASA’s aggressive effort against grooming and narcotic jihad has awakened …

Love Jihad: Karnataka BJP leader\'s statement kicks up controversy
2 years ago

Love Jihad: Karnataka BJP leader\'s statement kicks up controversy

Deccan Chronicle  

Mangaluru: The recent statement about Love Jihad by BJP Karnataka state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has raked up fresh controversy in the state. The viral video shows Nalin asking the party workers not to take up small issues like roads, gutters, and drains but bring BJP to power to fight against Love Jihad. Nalin also spoke about the strict measures …

Pro-Hindu groups demand separate law against Love Jihad in Karnataka
2 years, 1 month ago

Pro-Hindu groups demand separate law against Love Jihad in Karnataka

India Today  

Pro-Hindu organisations have demanded a separate law against Love Jihad in the state of Karnataka. Meanwhile, posters by pro-Hindu organisations have emerged in Puttur city stating the need for a law against Love Jihad in the state. The poster also says that Love Jihad was the reason behind Aftab murdering Shraddha and chopping her into 35 pieces. “To save such …

Party Wants Either Muslims or Christians on Its Side to Crack Kerala Conundrum - News18
2 years, 8 months ago

Party Wants Either Muslims or Christians on Its Side to Crack Kerala Conundrum - News18

News 18  

From just seven states in 2014 to 17 states in 2022, the BJP footprint has grown beyond traditional strongholds to conquer new forts like the Northeast. In Part 5 of the series, we assess the BJP’s tactics to establish itself as a serious electoral contender in Kerala where tangible success still eludes it due to unique demographic challenges. He then …

In Bid to Conquer Kerala, Party Taps Into Christian Community's Concerns - News18
2 years, 8 months ago

In Bid to Conquer Kerala, Party Taps Into Christian Community's Concerns - News18

News 18  

From just seven states in 2014 to 17 states in 2022, the BJP footprint has grown beyond traditional strongholds to conquer new forts like the Northeast. The party believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the Pope during the October 2021 G20 summit in Rome has changed the sentiments of the Christian community towards it. This time, nobody would believe …

Former CPM MLA George Thomas 'Publicly Censured' by Party for 'Love Jihad' Remark
2 years, 8 months ago

Former CPM MLA George Thomas 'Publicly Censured' by Party for 'Love Jihad' Remark

News 18  

CPIM leader and former MLA George M Thomas was publicly censured by the party for his controversial remarks on ‘Love Jihad’ as he called it a “reality” and said, “interfaith marriage by a party worker shattered the religious harmony in the region”. Joining the community’s concern, Thomas had said the young comrade’s action “has shattered the communal harmony in the …

Kerala HC declines 'love jihad' plea after Christian woman marries Muslim man
2 years, 8 months ago

Kerala HC declines 'love jihad' plea after Christian woman marries Muslim man

Hindustan Times  

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday declined to interfere in the marriage of a Christian woman to a Muslim man, observing 'she has taken a decision. The appeal against the marriage - alleged as a case of 'love jihad' - was filed by the woman's father, who told the court his daughter had been illegally detained and filed a habeas …

Kerala HC declines to interfere with interfaith relationship
2 years, 8 months ago

Kerala HC declines to interfere with interfaith relationship

Deccan Chronicle  

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday declined to interfere with the decision of a Christian woman to marry a Muslim DYFI leader, a decision which stirred up a political storm in the state after her relatives alleged "love jihad", as she categorically told the court that she has not been illegally detained and she was not interested in speaking …

Interfaith marriage sparks political row in Kerala after relatives of bride alleges 'love jihad'
2 years, 8 months ago

Interfaith marriage sparks political row in Kerala after relatives of bride alleges 'love jihad'

Firstpost  

Relatives of Jyotsna Mary Joseph, a nurse in Saudi Arabia, levelled ’love jihad’ allegations after she recently walked out on her family and married Shejin, a local DYFI leader belonging to the Muslim community, without their consent Kozhikode: A recent interfaith marriage of a Muslim activist of the ruling CPI’s youth wing DYFI, has stirred up a political storm after …

'Love kesari': Karnataka right-wing's counter to 'love jihad', case filed
2 years, 8 months ago

'Love kesari': Karnataka right-wing's counter to 'love jihad', case filed

India Today  

The leader of a right-wing group in Karnataka’s Raichur district courted controversy as he asked youngsters to engage in “love kesari” to counter “love jihad”. You have to do it,” Sri Ram Sene leader Rajachandra Ramanagowda told the gathering on Sunday. Love jihad is a concept propounded by Hindu right-wing groups that suggests that Muslim men target Hindu women to …

Bishops & Pawns: How Indian Church Has Become a Hotbed of Worrisome Politics
3 years, 3 months ago

Bishops & Pawns: How Indian Church Has Become a Hotbed of Worrisome Politics

The Quint  

No boat on a choppy Sea of Galilee would have been tossed as violently as the Church in India finds itself shaken today, trying to negotiate its way between competitive political space with Muslims and Hindus in distant Kerala, rampant persecution by non-state actors in the north and central states, its resources constricted by increasingly vindictive state policies, and its …

Concerns on 'love and narcotic jihad' should be discussed: Kerala BJP Chief
3 years, 3 months ago

Concerns on 'love and narcotic jihad' should be discussed: Kerala BJP Chief

Deccan Chronicle  

Kottayam: Bharatiya Janata Party state president K Surendran said that concerns raised by Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt regarding 'Love Jihad' and 'Narcotic Jihad' should be discussed. The Bishop, while addressing devotees at a church in Pala on September 9, had alleged that young girls were largely falling prey to "love and narcotic jihad" in Kerala and said that these …

Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council flags terrorist movements, increase in drug use in state
3 years, 3 months ago

Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council flags terrorist movements, increase in drug use in state

India TV News  

A couple of days after catholic bishop raised the issue of 'love and narcotic jihad' in the state, Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council on Saturday said that Kerala is facing serious social crises. The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council also reacted on Joseph Kallarangatt statements saying, "Fact that money from drug trafficking is being used for terror activities has been made clear …

Kerala CM reacts to Catholic bishop's 'love, narcotic jihad' statement, says not clear what he meant
3 years, 4 months ago

Kerala CM reacts to Catholic bishop's 'love, narcotic jihad' statement, says not clear what he meant

India TV News  

A day after Kerala's catholic church bishop triggered a controversy saying Christian girls were largely falling prey to "love and narcotic jihad" in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said those in responsible positions should be cautious not to make religious division in society. Addressing devotees during a church celebration at Kuravilangad in this district, the Bishop said as part …

Another BJP-governed Indian state plans anti-conversion law
4 years ago

Another BJP-governed Indian state plans anti-conversion law

Al Jazeera  

The government in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has approved a bill to prevent “forceful” religious conversions, a legislation critics say is aimed at curbing interfaith marriages. Nowhere is the BJP’s alleged mission of “Hindutva” – Hindu hegemony – more in evidence than in Uttar Pradesh, a vast and economically backward state of 200 million people. While there …

Love Jihad cases in Kerala, the tip of 'terrorist recruitment' iceberg?
4 years, 11 months ago

Love Jihad cases in Kerala, the tip of 'terrorist recruitment' iceberg?

Op India  

Recently, the Syro Malabar Church, The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ council and many Christian organisations had voiced their concerns over the growing number of Love Jihad cases in Kerala. This is something many Hindu organisations, grieving parents and families have been alleging for the last few years too, that there are forces active in Kerala that are targeting young women, brainwashing …

Dissent erupts in Kerala Catholic Church over its stand on ‘love jihad’
4 years, 11 months ago

Dissent erupts in Kerala Catholic Church over its stand on ‘love jihad’

Deccan Chronicle  

Kochi: A controversy has erupted within the Syro Malabar Church over its official statement that love jihad is a reality in Kerala and that it is being used as a tactic to convert non-Muslims and recruit for radical organisations. The official statement issued by the synod of the Syro Malabar Church had said that ‘love jihad’ was indeed happening, and …

'Love Jihad is a reality': Kerala church claims Christian women lured into IS trap for terrorism
4 years, 11 months ago

'Love Jihad is a reality': Kerala church claims Christian women lured into IS trap for terrorism

India TV News  

"Love Jihad is a reality" - That's what an influential Catholic Church in Kerala said, alleging that scores of women from Christian community from the state were being lured into the trap of Islamic State and used in terror activities. The synod of Syro-Malabar Church, an apex body of Catholic Bishops, chaired by Cardinal George Alencherry, also accused the state …

Kerala: Teenage Christian girl sexually abused, forcibly converted to Islam
5 years, 3 months ago

Kerala: Teenage Christian girl sexually abused, forcibly converted to Islam

India Today  

A 19-year-old Christian girl in Kerala was allegedly forced to convert to Islam after being blackmailed and facing sexual abuse. Tensed after receiving threats of leaking the videos on social media, the victim told her parents following which her father lodged a complaint with Nadakavu police station on August 5. The victim's parents, meanwhile, also lodged complaints with National Minority …

Kerala woman alleges torture and coercion by Muslim man to join ISIS
5 years, 4 months ago

Kerala woman alleges torture and coercion by Muslim man to join ISIS

Op India  

A Hindu girl in Telangana who shared her ordeal with the Kerala State Police Chief, Loknath Behera, at an Adalat held in Pathanamthitta district on Saturday, revealed how she was trapped by a Muslim boy who first professed his love for the girl and later subjected her to various forms of physical tortures for refusing to join the ISIS. The …

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