In a first, an organisation by the name of Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action (CASA) will participate in the 10th Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan held in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on Friday (April 29).
The 5-day event, inaugurated by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday (April 25) and organised by Hindu Dharma Parishad, will witness the presence of a Christian group for the first time. The group is a part of a discussion on ‘love jihad, land jihad and halal economy.’
While speaking about the development to The Indian Express, Hindu Dharma President M Gopal remarked, “We had Christians attending the event in the past. But this is the first time a Christian outfit is attending the event. The present situation in Kerala demands that Hindus and Christians should stand united.”
He further added, “There are common issues which both communities are facing such as love jihad and land jihad. Both communities are facing the same crisis situations. Islamic terrorism is confronting both communities. Left and Islamic historians have twisted the history of the state. We want to put the history in the right perspective. The conclave would take efforts in that direction.”
Opposition to Love Jihad
The association of CASA with Hindu outfits dates back to 2009 when it joined hands with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to thwart attempts by Islamists to lure Hindu, Christian girls under the pretext of love.
While speaking about the matter, the then CASA office-bearer KS Samson had vowed to co-operate with VHP to tackle the menace of ‘love jihad.’ The report added, “Samson said some days ago, CASA got to know about a Hindu family in a Christian parish where a school going girl was the victim. We immediately referred it to the VHP,he said, adding the saffron outfit has helped them in many cases.”
Recently, the Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action had mobilised support in Kodenchery village in Kozhikode district against an alleged case of love jihad.
The case pertains to that of a Muslim man named Shejin, who eloped and married a Christian woman named Jyotsna Mary Joseph. Jyotsna, who worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia, arrived in Kerala to get engaged to another man. However, she ended up eloping with Shejin.
Mary Joseph’s parents had lodged a complaint with the Kodancherry police, stating that their daughter was missing. As the police did not take action against Shejin, the relatives and the locals marched to the police station.
They alleged that the marriage was an act of ‘love jihad’. However, Jyotsna claimed that she got married of her own will. Meanwhile, her family alleged that Jyotsna was under pressure and that the couple had the support of CPI(M) leaders. As per a report by The News Minute, Christian groups under the leadership of CASA held protest marches, rallies and campaigns to rescue Jyotsna.
Rescue activities undertaken by CASA
In an interview with News9, CASA co-founder Kevin Peter informed, “We have intervened in over 200 ‘love jihad’ cases in the state and were able to save around 90 girls. We also check the details on the website of the registration Department to identify ‘love jihad’ cases and alert the local priests.”
“With their help, we meet their families and save girls. From my understanding, in 8 out of 10 cases, girls regret their decision. Also, parents often face ostracism and humiliation. There is only one Bindu Sampath (mother of Nimisha Fatima who joined ISIS) or Ashokan (father of Hadiya who married Shefin Jahan) among thousands,” he added.
“Others are not ready to pursue the fight considering the future of their remaining kids. So we launched a ‘Mission Recall to Christ Love’ to bring back these girls. We brought back around 12 such girls. Of these, we were able to marry off two girls with eligible men from within their communities. These are happening in a secretive manner, we don’t publish such details,” Peter emphasised.
According to the CASA co-founder, there are about 5000 Christians associated with the organisation. About 2000 members are said to be active. Peter informed that they are not connected to any Church but have priests, former cops and other professionals in advisory committee. “We accept members only after carefully scrutinising their ID, parish details and their social media accounts to ensure that they are not anti-national or too communal,” he added.
Release of the film on ‘POCSO criminal’ Muhammad
Last year, Mollywood (Malayalam cinema) director Nadirshah courted controversy for directing a movie titled ‘Eesho: Not from the Bible’.
The movie, featuring actor Jayasurya in the lead, had drawn the ire of the Christian community for using the name of Jesus Christ (Eesho) in the title of the movie. Following the controversy, Nadirshah claimed that the ‘Eesho’ was the name of the character and not that of Christ.
In a Facebook post on August 2, 2021, Nadirshah clarified that he would not change the name of the movie. In retaliation, Christian Association And Alliance For Social Action (CASA) decided to release a short film on child abuse titled, ‘Muhammad: The POCSO criminal’.
It must be mentioned Muhammad is also the name of the last Prophet of Islam. As part of a global awareness campaign, CASA vowed to release the film on World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse last year.
The movie was based on the rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl in the Dibrugarh district of Assam by a Bangladeshi national named Muhammad. The short film received an overwhelming response from Keralite Christians.
“Super idea. Congratulations to the CASA team for this endeavour,” wrote one Facebook user. Another user suggested adding ‘Not from the Quran’ in line with Nadirshah’s movie titled ‘Eesho: Not from the Bible.’
While most Christian groups have traditionally been critical of the BJP, many have started to realise the growing menace of love jihad, or the discriminatory nature of the Halal ecosystem. CASA is working to raise awareness among Indian Christians about the dangers of radical Islam in India’s most literate State.
