Kochi, Jan 27, 2020: Continuing the debate on “Love Jihad” in Kerala, a senior priest of the Catholic Church said the incidents of young women from the southern India state being used as “sex slaves” in war-torn nations are a reality and turning a blind eye to it “amounts to giving a silent sanction” to that.

Days after the state government rejected the Syro-Malabar bishops’ view over the issue of “Love Jihad” in the state, KCBC spokesperson Father Varghese Vallikkatt has criticized the state and central governments for not conducting a proper probe into the cases of “missing women and children” from the state.

Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) is the apex body of the bishops of three Catholic rites in Kerala — Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara.

Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal George Alencherry is the current KCBC president.

Asserting that ‘Love Jihad’ is a reality, Father Vallikkatt said in a video released on January 26 that ignoring such incidents “amounts to giving a silent sanction” to it.

In the video clip, aired by media, the priest said no effective investigation has been carried out by the federal and the state governments into the whereabouts of those who have gone missing “after being trapped in love”.

Quoting media reports, the priest said such missing women and children were later traced to other nations where they are being used as sex slaves and terror operatives.

Referring to the incidents of Christian women taken to Syria and Afghanistan after being allegedly trapped in “Love Jihad,” he said some were traced even to jails of the conflict-hit nations.

The priest further said the probe into the cases of ‘Love Jihad’ have not reached the real culprits so far.

He blamed governments for not maintaining a data of ‘Love Jihad’ cases even after the courts made strong observations on it.

Father Vallikkatt told PTI that, in the video, he was expressing the views of the people on the issue.

His statement is also in line with the stand of the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church, which recently kicked up a debate, saying “Love Jihad is a reality” and alleged that scores of Christian women from the state were being lured into the trap of Islamic State and used in terror activities.

The Synod has accused the state police of not viewing the matter cautiously and taking timely action in Love Jihad cases.

Responding to the allegations of the Synod, Kerala Finance Minster Thomas Isaac had said the charges of the bishops have “no factual basis.”

“If there are concrete cases or allegations, they will definitely be looked into. But the Kerala government does not believe that there is any basis for such generalization,” he had said.

In the video, Father Vallikkatt referred to many incidents in which Christian girl’s falling prey to the alleged Love Jihad including killing of a Christian girl recently following a love affair and missing of a girl from the community and later traced to Afghanistan.

He criticized the tendency of the authorities to “simplify the matter” and dismiss such incidents as “isolated”.

The priest said the Church was facing questions from its followers who claim that it was doing nothing against ‘Love Jihad’.

“We can’t turn a blind eye towards it,” Father Vallikkatt said.

The Popular Front of India, an Islamic outfit, had questioned the “timing” of the recent Syro-Malabar church statement on ‘Love Jihad’ and urged the Church to withdraw it immediately “as it would only help create division amid growing unity among various sections of society against Hindutva Fascism.”

Welcoming the Church statement, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP, world Hindu council) has called for a united fight against Love Jihad in Kerala Society.

Attacking the Synod over its statement on ‘Love Jihad’, one of its senior priest had pointed out that the Kerala High Court had dismissed such allegations after a thorough probe.

In 2010, the Karnataka government had said ‘Love Jihad’ was an illusion, Father Kuriakose Mundadan of the Syro-Malabar Church had last week mentioned in an article in Satyadeepam weekly run by Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Church.

Mundadan had claimed he was expressing the majority view of the priests and laity in the Syro-Malabar Church on the issue of CAA.

https://www.news18.com/news/india/ignoring-love-jihad-amounts-to-giving-silent-sanction-to-it-kerala-priest-2474637.html