Recently, a heart-wrenching case of love jihad came to the fore from Bengaluru, Karnataka. An innocent Hindu girl, originally a native of Odisha, fell victim to the love jihad trap laid by Taha Razi, a youth from Bihar, whom she considered to be her soulmate until reality hit her in her face. The victim Neha (name changed), completely daunted and cowed down by the betrayal of her once-loved partner, broke down as she shared her jarring experience with OpIndia.
Taha Razi had, eight years ago, trapped the girl in his love by posing as a Hindu. Days passed by and he made her believe that she was his one true love and did everything to make her feel special. This, however, lasted until the victim got to know that he was a Muslim and had hidden his true identity to woo her. What followed was a nightmare of coercion, threats and assaults, once again throwing light on the dangerous phenomena of Love Jihad plaguing the society.
Love Jihad- a phenomenon in which Muslim men prey on helpless Hindu women, entice and deceive them, convert them to Islam against their will, torture and rape them, and then either kill or leave them.
Taza Razi introduced himself as Taha, a Hindu to Neha. When she inquired about his last name, he said nonchalantly that he dislikes using it. The victim told OpIndia, “Since Taha is such a unique name, I could not understand his religious affiliation.” She also mentioned that at first, Taha would support her during her Thursday fast and go with her to the Mandir on Mondays, though he would not go inside, claiming he does not believe in visiting temples. He would recite verses from the Gita, accompanied by translations, emphasising the concept of a singular divine entity.
He argued in favour of a common belief in a single god while demonstrating his mastery of the Ramayan and Mahabharat. Taha criticized adherents of Hinduism, accusing them of pervasive dishonesty and straying from Sanatan Dharma’s purity.
In the first six years of their relationship, Taha Razi posed as a devout lover, giving all the love and care any girl could ask for, however, things changed towards the end of 2021 when Neha stumbled upon Taha Razi’s driving licence and his true identity laid exposed before her.
When confronted, Taha cried and begged before Neha and pledged his allegiance to her. He made her believe that he had no problems with her continuing to follow her faith. In fact, he also expressed willingness to change his religion for her.
Some days passed and Neha proposed that they should get married only after which Taha started showing his true colours. At first, he subtly broached the topic of conversion, insisting on how Allah was supreme and Islam was the latest version of Sanatan Dharma. Neha objected to this sudden demand, asserting that her faith was non-negotiable.
Now, gradually, the discreet attempts to persuade her to accept Islam were becoming overt and outrageous.
One day, Taha dropped a bombshell on Neha. He told her that his family had fixed his marriage in Bihar as they were opposed to him marrying her since she didn’t belong to their community. Neha was shocked to learn about this. She asked Taha what had caused his family members to reconsider their choice, given that they had been aware of and accepting of her faith from the start. Taha feigned helplessness, claiming that her conversion to Islam was the only thing that could have persuaded his parents to approve of their marriage.
Bhagwan ko bhul jayegi…beef khaegi: How Taha Razi used coercion to compel the victim to convert in return for marriage
Aware that Neha, was desperate to marry him as she was madly in love with him and more importantly she had no one to go to as her family had severed all ties with her given her love affair with a Muslim individual who had deceptively hidden his identity, Taha began to emotionally blackmail her.
Sharing screenshots of her Whatsapp chats with the accused, Neha recalled how he used to emotionally manipulate her. He said that he would only marry her if she quit Hinduism and started consuming beef. “Bhagwan ko bhul jayegi…beef khaegi,” Taha wrote to Neha when she implored him to get married to her.
In essence, Taha employed every tactic in his playbook to emotionally blackmail Neha into accepting Islam, but she was certain that she would not give up her faith or religion. However, when Taha discovered that none of this was working, he turned to unimaginable acts of violence and torture.
The victim, recounting her horrific ordeal, told OpIndia how Taha used to beat her up and force her to watch Zakir Naik’s videos. “One day, Taha stuffed a cloth in my mouth and gagged me before physically and sexually assaulting me. He ripped my hair when I disapproved of watching Zakir Naik’s video,” Neha said.
Taha Razi empathised with Aftab Amin Poonawala, threatened me with Shraddha Walker’s fate: Victim tells OpIndia
Taha Razi, who had spent the previous six or seven years trying his hardest to persuade Neha that he was the ideal life partner, had now turned into a monster. “He used to abuse me and beat me up black and blue every time I refused to accede to his demands of conversion. While beating me up ruthlessly, he would often tell me that I was pressuring him to provide me with Shraddha Walker’s fate.”
She further recalled how Taha often empathised with Aftab Amin Poonawala, the man accused of killing and chopping off his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar’s body into 35 pieces, and said that he was convinced that Shraddha Walkar must have been as stubborn as her which is why ‘poor’ Aftab had to do what he did.
She quoted Taha Razi as threatening her in Hindi, “Bechara Aftab. Mujhe pakka pata hai who Shraddha bhi teri tarah ziddi hogi. Nahi mani hogi conversion ke liye, isliye bechare Aftab ko who kadam uthana pada. S**li…tujhko doosri Shraddha banna hai kya. Nahi mane gi toh there saath bhi wohi karoonga.” (Poor Aftab. Shraddha was undoubtedly just as obstinate as you are. Aftab was compelled to do what he did since she would not have also consented to the conversion. Would you like to be the second Shraddha? S**li.. If you disagree, I shall follow suit).
Taha Razi’s sudden behavioural changes
Neha observed notable changes in their relationship after Taha’s true identity was revealed. She recalled how one day she went to a neighbouring Ganesh temple when she was in Bangalore and, as she had done previously, brought back Khichdi and Sambhar as Prashad for Taha. But this time, he snapped, declaring that eating prashad was prohibited (haram) under Islam.
Neha also mentioned some of Taha’s odd habits such as not washing his hands before eating. She said that whenever she raised objections to this, he justified by citing Islamic teachings which apparently state that the bacteria on one’s palms benefits digestion.
She further told OpIndia how one day, upon her return home, she discovered Taha placed a pack of cigarettes in front of her idol in her Mandir. She opposed saying he was disobeying her faith. Taha pleaded for forgiveness. She ignored it, assuming Taha was unaware and that he might have accidentally left the cigarette package in front of her idol. The next day, Taha put a bottle of alcohol in her Mandir. The victim felt agitated this time. When she went to confront Taha, he became aggressive. He said angrily, “S**li, mere ko batayegi. Mein rakhonga, tu kya kar legi” (I will do what I want, what can you do?). Saying so he picked up the idols and smashed it on the floor.
Background of the case
Neha belongs to Odisha, and the accused, Taha is from Bihar. The duo are believed to have met during an internship in Hyderabad. The accused introduced himself as Taha to Neha but hid his surname. On being asked about his full name, the accused smartly said that his family had a tradition of not employing the surnames.
The accused then made the girl believe that he was a Hindu. He used to visit temples, read Bhagwad Gita, respect the fasts held by the girls, and exclusively worship Lord Krishna. He then proposed to her and immediately introduced her to his mother. As per Neha, the mother of the accused liked her and referred to her as ‘beta’. The accused also showed respect towards Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Neha recovered the ‘driving license’ of the accused while they were on a trek. She confronted the accused as she saw the identity card after it accidentally fell from his pocket during the trek. The accused then confessed the truth and said that he had hidden his identity fearing that she would leave him. He then convinced her that he followed Sanatan Dharma and also read the Bhagwad Gita. He also said that he was ready to convert to Hinduism if his religion mattered to her so much.
Neha however refused to keep ties with him after knowing the truth. She began distancing herself from the accused. The accused then convinced her saying, “My family is a modern family, we live in an all-Hindu colony and my great-grandfather had to convert to Islam under pressure, my family believes in Hindu Dharma. I am not a Muslim and will never force you for anything. I have already accepted you as my wife. Have you ever seen my mother and sister wearing burqa? We are modern. I will never force you to convert.”
The girl happened to fall for him and told her family about Taha. The family of the girl then severed all ties with her given her love affair with a Muslim individual who had deceptively hidden his identity.
The accused and the victim girl then relocated to Banglore and began living together. They bought a new home and decided to settle in the city. However, the horror began here as the accused began assaulting the victim and justifying it by giving reference to the Quran.
