Days after a Catholic bishop in Kerala made unsubstantiated claims that Muslims in the state had launched a “narcotic jihad” to lure other communities to become drug addicts, the Syro-Malabar Church has brought out a textbook with defamatory and derogatory statements against Islam.
The textbook for class classes X to XII students is published by the Catholic Diocese of Thamarassery. The book makes several derogatory statements about Islam and states that “love jihad” is an organised activity by Muslims to trap Christian women, the Indian Express reported.
The book warns Christian youth against accepting invitations for events from Muslims, two-wheeler rides, and even visits to ice cream parlours.
Following objections and protests from Muslims, the diocese of Thamarassery has reportedly tendered an apology.
Last week, Joseph Kallarangatt, a bishop of the Palai diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church created controversy, when he said that Muslims in the state had launched a “narcotic jihad”. “Various types of drugs are being used in ice-cream parlours, hotels and juice corners run by hardcore jihadis. They are using various types of drugs as a weapon to spoil non-Muslims,” he claimed.
He also alleged that Hindu and Christian women are forcibly converted by Muslims through marriage.
The term ‘Love Jihad’ is a hate campaign and false propaganda run by extremist Hindutva forces claiming that Muslim men lure non-Muslim girls, and trick them into marriage and force them to accept Islam.
In February 2019, the Centre had told the Lok Sabha that no case of “love jihad” had been reported by any of the central agencies.
An RTI query also revealed that no data under the category of complaints related to the so-called love jihad was even maintained by National Commission for Women (NCW), however, despite this, Bishop Kallarangatt and Hindutva groups continue to demonise the Muslim community with false propaganda.
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