On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, Malayalam actors Sumi Rashik and Vishnu K Vijayan took to Instagram to share a music video to extend Ramzan wishes to their fans. The video by Juneberry Bridal Makeover and shot by Kcaptures, however, did not go down well with social media users who slammed it for normalising the phenomena of love jihad.
Netizens were outraged at how the music video not only normalised but also encouraged the conversion of Hindu women to Islam by Muslim men in the name of love.
It must be mentioned that the video, which is being widely condemned, depicts actress Sumi Rashik as a Hindu woman in love with Vishnu K Vijayan essaying the role of a Muslim man. In the first scene, Vishnu K Vijayan is seen wearing a black kurta pyjama and Kufi, an Islamic prayer cap, and performing Namaz. The girl, dressed in a red and yellow typical South Indian style lehnga choli peeps into the room. For the next few seconds, the duo are shown romancing each other. After some time, Sumi Rashik changes into a Salwar Kameez presented to her by her Muslim boyfriend.
In the next scene, the Hindu girl approaches her Muslim boyfriend in the outfit he gifted her. The man, in turn, drapes the girl’s dupatta on her head like a veil and removes the bindi the girl wears on her forehead.
Till the time this report was published, the aforementioned video, shared by Vishnu K Vijayan on his Instagram page yesterday (Friday, April 21), garnered 2541 likes. The Malayalam actress Sumi Rashik shared the video today and has garnered 220 likes. The video is, however, being met with severe criticism both on Instagram and Twitter.
Most of the Netizens, on Instagram as well as Twitter, were of the opinion that several portions in the video, especially in which the Muslim man removes the bindi the girl is wearing on her forehead and drapes the dupatta over the Hindu girl’s head are a subliminal depiction of religious conversion.
Below are a few responses that actor Vishnu K Vijayan received on his post. Please note that the responses provided below were originally written in Malayalam. The true meaning of several words was lost in the translation since we used the translation option and changed them to English for better understanding. Pottu (bindi in Malayalam) appears as pussy, for example.
Similarly, people on Twitter also called out the makers of the music video for normalising the phenomena of love jihad/grooming jihad. While there is nothing wrong with two adults from different religions falling in love, the fact that the Hindu girl is transformed into a Muslim girl by her Muslim lover by removing the bindi and putting a hijab on her presents a problematic depiction. Because many felt that it seemed to be promoting the religious conversion of Hindu girls to Islam to marry Muslim men.
Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey, a practising legal solicitor at Bombay High Court and the legal advisor of BJP-Maharashtra shared the video and tweeted, “A Muslim boy marries a Hindu girl, giving the world a clear indication of Love Jihad. He gently removes the bindi from her forehead and covers her head with a cloth. This is a clip from the popular Eid music video in Kerala, and whoever developed it had just the objective of upsetting Hindus – Wake up Hindu Girls.
A Muslim boy marries a Hindu girl, giving the world a clear indication of Love Jihad. He gently removes the bindi from her forehead and covers her head with a cloth.
— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY 🇮🇳 (@AdvAshutoshBJP) April 22, 2023
This is a clip from the popular Eid music video in Kerala, and whoever developed it had just the objective of… pic.twitter.com/4NX2Wu9z6i
“Love sees no religion yet a religious boy has to convert the girl before accepting her. Video by Sumi Rashik, Malayalam actress in collab with ‘Kcaptures by Kiran’ at Instagram with hashtags RamzanMubarak, RomanticVideos, MusIim, etc,” tweeted popular Twitter user The Hawk Eye.
Love sees no religion yet a religious boy has to convert the girl before accepting her.
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) April 22, 2023
Video by Sumi Rashik, Malayalam actress in collab with 'Kcaptures by Kiran' at Instagram with hashtags RamzanMubarak, RomanticVideos, MusIim, etc. pic.twitter.com/bU8hjT7XSM
Twitter user Monica Verma also shared the video and condemned the glorification of religious conversion in the name of love.
Wow so a guy won’t accept me if I wear a bindi and a dupatta over my shoulders?
— Monica Verma (@TrulyMonica) April 22, 2023
But I am told that inter-religious unions are all about equality and progression 🤣
This is the video circulating in Kerala all over today.
Nahi chahiye yaar 🙏🏻🙏🏻
pic.twitter.com/vNap7pk5On
“Eid greetings! With this clip promoting love Jihad: In the name of Ramzan greetings this clip was shared on the internet where a Muslim man erases bindi from the forehead of a Hindu woman and asks her to wear a veil, as a symbol of conversion. Video from Kerala,” tweeted Swarajya journalist Subhi Vishwakarma.
Eid greetings! With this clip promoting love Jihad:
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) April 22, 2023
In the name of Ramzan greetings this clip was shared on the internet where a Muslim man erases bindi from the forehead of a Hindu woman and asks her to wear a veil, as a symbol of conversion.
Video from Kerala.
Watch: pic.twitter.com/w9jTxVXN7T
Twitter user going by the handle @nach1keta opined that this video is an obvious hint of Love Jihad made with an intention to provoke Hindus.
Muslim boy marrying a Hindu girl, an obvious hint of Love Jihad
— നചികേതസ് (@nach1keta) April 21, 2023
Boy removes bindi from her forehead
Boy carefully covers her head with cloth.
This is from the Eid special music video going rounds in Kerala!
Whoever asshole has made it, his only intention is to provoke Hindus! pic.twitter.com/1vMp6VMfDU
Media outlet Indus Scrolls also shared the video and tweeted, “Muzlim Man Erases Bindi and Wears Hindu Girl a Veil: Video Glorifying #LoveJihad From Kerala Sparks Outrage.”
Muzlim Man Erases Bindi and Wears Hindu Girl a Veil: Video Glorifying #LoveJihad From Kerala Sparks Outrage@RSSorg @BJP4India @BJP4Keralam @CPIMKerala @CMOKerala @riyasdyfi #Kerala #keralamodel #Ramadan #Islam #HindusUnderAttack @Sreedath @kumarnandaj @ratihegde… pic.twitter.com/ANTJHd6b6Q
— Indus Scrolls (@indusscrolls) April 22, 2023
While the left and the so-called liberals have always dismissed these occurrences as a figment of the ‘right-wing imagination’, the cases are real.
To combat this grave threat, many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Karnataka, have enacted stringent laws that criminalise Love Jihad and other forms of illegal conversions; however, several incidents continue to emerge every other day from every nook and corner of the country where susceptible and vulnerable Hindu women are being targeted and exploited in the name of ‘love’.
OpIndia has consistently been at the forefront of reporting incidents in which vulnerable Hindu women are groomed to accept their own subjugation at the hands of Muslim men. When the year 2022 came to an end, OpIndia reported as many as 153 instances of ‘Love Jihad’ or ‘Grooming Jihad’ we documented last year.
