Shashi Tharoor shares old video of Hindu marriage in Mosque; hails Kerala for social harmony

Hailing the communal harmony and co-operation in Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor shared an old video of Hindu marriage in a Mosque.

A wedding made news in January 2019 where 100-year-old Cheravally Jamaat Masjid in Kayamkulam hosted a Hindu marriage on its premises. Sarath Sasi of Kappil Kizhakku, Kayamkulam, and Anju Ashok Kumar tied the knot on the mosque grounds, with a Hindu priest leading the ceremonies. The couple later entered the mosque and pursued the blessings of chief imam Riyasudeen Faizy.

"What a great story of communal harmony & co-operation in Kerala!": Tharoor

Sharing the video, Tharoor wrote, "This wedding (Hindu nuptials conducted in a masjid) made news last Sunday, but not many have seen the video. What a great story of communal harmony & co-operation in Kerala!"

The debate around Love Jihad

The tweet has come amidst multiple BJP governments across the country planning to make strict laws against Love Jihad without any study. Love Jihad or Romeo Jihad is an Islamophobic theory of conspiracy, arguing that by feigning love, Muslim men target women from non-Muslim cultures for conversion to Islam.

Many  Hindutva groups such as Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) are generally hostile to inter-faith marriage and religious pluralism in their anti-Islamic positions, which can often lead to mob violence fuelled by accusations of love jihad.

On Friday, at least five opposition-ruled states denounced Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana's announcements as an infringement of personal freedom and an effort to create a communal divide in the country.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot criticised the attempts by UP, MP, and Haryana to enact a law against "love jihad." "Love jihad is a word manufactured by BJP to divide the nation and disturb communal harmony. Marriage is a matter of personal liberty (and) bringing a law to curb it is completely unconstitutional & it will not stand in any court of law…," he wrote on Twitter.