Indian family reverts to Islam months after adopting Hinduism under 'ghar wapsi' campaign

[Devil Soul]

Indian family reverts to Islam months after adopting Hinduism under 'ghar wapsi' campaign
By Web Desk
Published: May 2, 2015

AGRA: As many as 17 people from the Indian city Agra have reverted to Islam, nearly five months after they had ‘converted’ to Hindusim on December 25 last year under a controversial ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign.

The conversion took place on Friday at the Mahuar Lathia village in the Achnera block of the district. Those who reverted all belonged to the ‘Nat’ community who are gypsies living in the slums.

Read: In India, 800 Valmiki Hindus convert to Islam to save homes from demolition



The 70-year-old head of the family, Rehmat, his sons Ravi alias Muhammad Arif and wife Nafeesa, Munna alias Ali Muhammad and wife Shazia, Raju alias Shaukat and wife Salma and their children recited the ‘kalma’, the obligatory words to enter the religion, by acleric and were supervised by the head of an organisation spearheaded by clerics.

According to Rehmat, his son Ali Muhammad had pressurised the family to make the decision, while according to the latter, he only did so when he was assured by a Hindu leader that they will be handed over the possession of land, something underprivileged families in the country can only dream about.

Ali, himself, later converted to Islam as well.

Read: Discord in India: BJP lawmaker plans mass conversion of Muslims, Christians

The Muslim community in the city had reacted strongly to the conversion campaign by Hindus, and barred those who had converted from attending marriage ceremonies. They were told that they could only do so after reverting to Islam.

Read: How come Hindu men aren’t converting, only marriageable young girls?

Moreover, according to a Mufti of the city, the status of marriage between a couple becomes void if one of them converts to another religion. Therefore, couples among the 17 men and women will have to retake their marriage vows.

The story originally appeared on BBC Urdu

 

[rockstar08]

Ops , India govt ko 5 lac ka phatka , itne hi paise offer ker rahe the na ?

 

[Cheetah786]

Those people were never Muslims to begin with.

 

[Cherokee]

Must be shocking right ?? No laws against it . No going to jails for it et all .

 

[Nicky G]

The reality: Threatened and boycotted, Muslim family that converted to Hinduism goes back to Islam

AGRA: The Muslim family that had embraced Hinduism during the much publicized “Ghar Wapasi” program last year has now gone back to being Muslims after they received threats and were boycotted by the local Muslim society.

A family of 17 members in Davli village headed by 70-year-old Rahmat had embraced Hinduism on December 25 last year, but they were reported to have stopped following Hindu rituals after they received threats from anti-social elements.

It has now come to light that the family was also boycotted by their caste members, most of whom are Muslims. The family belongs to “nat” caste, which is identified as a dalit caste.


The family accepting Islam again (BBC photo)

On Friday, Rahmat’s family was reportedly denied admission into a wedding ceremony of someone from the same caste. Local people told them that unless they accept Islam again, they will not be accepted by the society and no one will allow them to join public functions.

Disowned by their community, the family claims that they didn’t receive any benefits, such as a piece of land, or social support from people who converted them to Hinduism during the Gharwapasi event.

Coupled with such social boycott, apart from threats that they received earlier, the family thought it was better if they accepted Islam again to lead a normal life.

As a result, on Friday itself the family became Muslims again. Their “reconversion” was solemnized by a local Mufti and an official of Tanzeem Ulema, as reported by Dainik Jagran newspaper.

Apart from reading qalma to become Muslims again, the married members of the family were asked to marry again as their earlier marriage was deemed null and void due to their conversion to Hinduism.

The family will be formally announced assimilated into the society in a panchayat that has been called on 14th May by the nat community.

The incident has once again highlighted the politics behind conversions and reconversions, where religious conversions among the poor appears to be happening mostly due to financial reasons. Earlier some dalits in Rampur had claimed to embrace Islam to save their houses. This family too has been changing their religion to have such support.

It also shows how Hindu groups have been mostly ham-handed in organizing events like “ghar wapasi”. Without any social support, such programs are just made-for-media-and-made-for-outrage events.

 

[ayesha.a]

Ops , India govt ko 5 lac ka phatka , itne hi paise offer ker rahe the na ?

The Indian govt cannot, and never has, given money for religious conversions. That would be unconstitutional.

 

[jaatram]

The Indian govt cannot, and never has, given money for religious conversions. That would be unconstitutional.

But state governments do ...
Rs 5cr to take edge out of Ghar Wapsi - The Times of India

 

[ayesha.a]

But state governments do ...
Rs 5cr to take edge out of Ghar Wapsi - The Times of India

No, they don't. Read beyond the headline.

KOCHI: Finance minister K M Mani's allocation of Rs 5 crore in the budget to set up a commission to find out ways to integrate 'converted Christians' into social mainstream in the backdrop of VHP's concerted Ghar Wapsi campaign has evoked mixed reactions.

The 5 crore was to set up a commission for something - not to convert or reconvert or deconvert anybody.

 

[IndoCarib]

Where is all the media attention now? RSS/ BJP bashing only when people convert to Hinduism ? Why all have become silent now !? Where is Congress and AAP who screamed their lungs out when Muslims converted to Hinduism?

 

[Indus Falcon]

No, they don't. Read beyond the headline.



The 5 crore was to set up a commission for something - not to convert or reconvert or deconvert anybody.

5 crore to setup a commission? Yeah right!!

 

[ayesha.a]

5 crore to setup a commission? Yeah right!!

What do you think it is for? To reward people for converting/deconverting/reconverting?

I deplore the fact that 5 crores of taxpayers' money is used to set up useless commisions, but that is precisely what is happening. Wasteful expenditure by govts is not a new phenomenon in India.

 

[jaatram]

No, they don't. Read beyond the headline.
The 5 crore was to set up a commission for something - not to convert or reconvert or deconvert anybody.

5 crore is being provided so that Hindus groups can't reconvert them. One needs to read between the lines not just beyond the headline.

 

[ayesha.a]

5 crore is being provided so that Hindus groups can't reconvert them. One needs to read between the lines not just beyond the headline.

Read between the lines of a newspaper article? Yea, right.

Stop being so paranoid - neither the Indian govt, nor any state govt can or has offered money for a religious conversion.

 

[jaatram]

Read between the lines of a newspaper article? Yea, right.

Stop being so paranoid - neither the Indian govt, nor any state govt can or has offered money for a religious conversion.

Not being paranoid just stating the obvious. The money is not for religious conversion but to counter Ghar Wapsi. It says right in the first line.

K M Mani's allocation of Rs 5 crore in the budget to set up a commission to find out ways to integrate 'converted Christians' into social mainstream in the backdrop of VHP's concerted Ghar Wapsi campaign

 

[wolfschanzze]

DOH! One family converted back from ........ ?
Should we be concerned? Yes!
We will adopt new strategies next time to cover the loss of 1%.That we can do!