India's ruling Hindu nationalist party has approved legislation outlawing so-called ‘love jihad' marriages.

Uttar Pradesh government minister Siddharth Nath Singh said the threat of imprisonment would stop unlawful conversions and provide justice to women.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long campaigned against interfaith marriages.

The party describes such marriages as "love jihad," an unproven conspiracy theory used by its leaders and hard-line Hindu groups to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.

Under the decree, a couple belonging to two different religions will have to give two months notice to a district magistrate before getting married. The couple will be allowed to marry only if the official finds no objections.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India with 237 million inhabitants. It is one of five states seeking to legislate against what Hindu nationalist leaders call forced and unlawful religious conversions.

There has been a rising tide of Hindu nationalism in India under Modi. Hindu hard-line groups have long accused minority Muslims of attempting to take over the country by persuading Hindu women to marry them and convert to Islam.

Hindu's account for 74% of India's 1.3 billion people, while Muslims make up about 14% of the population.

Hindu groups also oppose conversions to Christianity which makes up 2.3% of India's population. They have vowed to continue trying to prevent interfaith relationships.

Although India's constitution is secular and provides protection to all faiths, the issue of "love jihad" has gripped headlines and pitted Modi's party leaders against secular activists.

India's investigating agencies and courts have, however, rejected the "love jihad" theory. Many see it as part of an anti-Muslim agenda by Modi's party.

But, in recent weeks, the Love Jihad conspiracy has risen to new prominence in the national conversation.

On Monday, police registered a case against Netflix for a scene in the TV miniseries "A Suitable Boy." The scene depicted a Hindu woman and a Muslim man kissing against the backdrop of a temple.

This was described as "extremely objectionable content" by Narottam Mishra. He is the home minister of the BJP-ruled Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, who is weighing a similar law.

Sources

The Philadelphia Tribune

Time

A 74-year-old nun was attacked by six men during a burglary at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, which was attached to a school in eastern West Bengal.

The woman is in a stable condition in a hospital near Calcutta.

Prayers for her are being said in churches throughout India.

The Archbishop of Calcutta, Thomas d'Souza, told the BBC that there are only three sisters in the community.

"One sister was molested badly. The other two, and a guard, were tied to chairs."

The men also stole money from the school, he said, vandalised the chapel, broke open the tabernacle and took away a ciborium.

"They not only committed a heinous crime, but they also vandalised the chapel . . . This is the first time such an attack has happened in India," he said.

Eight men have been detained by police and there are reports that four of the six attackers have been identified through CCTV footage.

A reward of 100,000 rupees is on offer for any leads on the suspects.

The attack has fuelled fears among beleaguered Christians in the country.

Christian groups have recently held protests in the capital, Delhi, saying they are being targeted and demanding better protection.

A spate of attacks on churches prompted the Hindu nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, to promise a crackdown on religious violence.

Mr Modi had been heavily criticised for not speaking out earlier against religious violence.

He has also faced flak for remaining silent about a spate of mass "re-conversions" of Christians and Muslims to Hinduism.

The 2012 gang rape of a student led to a major reform of India's rape laws, speeding up trials and increasing penalties.

But many campaigners say little has changed for women.

Sources

• BBC
• The Guardian
• Image: New York Daily News