Hadiya, the Kerala woman whose conversion to Islam, sparked strife at her home, and controversy elsewhere, has graduated to become a doctor, her husband Shafin Jahan announced.
“This shining victory is an outstanding achievement because it comes at the end of countless prayers, relentless struggles of separation and imprisonment, love, patience and so on….Alhamdulillah! Finally You reached an important destination out of all odds.
Very proud to address you a Doctor. Dr.Hadiya Asokan ❤ (sic)”, Shafin wrote in a Facebook post.
The Hadiya case had come into prominence when her father K.M. Ashokan approached the judiciary alleging his daughter was a victim of ‘love jihad’.
Formely Akhila Ashokan, Hadiya converted to Islam while studying in college in Salem. In January 2016, her father filed a petition in Kerala High Court alleging she was being forcibly converted. Hadiya denied this and the petition was dismissed.
Her father then filed a second petition in the High Court, alleging that Muslim organisations were planning to take his daughter abroad to join ISIS. While the case was ongoing, Hadiyah married Shafin Jahan. The court annulled the marriage, sparking debates on jurisdiction and power of the courts in the personal lives of adults.
Hadiya was legally detained at her parent’s home in Kottayam, Kerala, where she alleged she was tortured. Shafin Jahan then appealed in the Supreme Court, which then restored the marriage, 10 months after the Kerala High Court annulled it.
Shafin Jahan and Hadiya. Picture Source: Scroll
Hadiya now holds a degree in Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery. She graduated from Sivaraj Medical College, in Salem, Tamil Nadu.
