Lust is a word that means intense or unbridled sexual desire. Sometimes the word seems vulgar or vulgar, but it defines a mentality dictated by desire and temptation. Across India and Pakistan, the one fact that stands out is the number of Hindu girls with Muslim men who have husbands. In Pakistan, it takes a strange form with around 20-25 girls kidnapped each month in Sindh province and forcibly converted and married to Muslim men. In India, there is no coercion, but many Hindu girls marry Muslims. Even movie stars are interested and today’s most famous heroine, Karina Kapoor, marries a Muslim star who has 2 grown children.

I began to wonder why this is so after a few decades Muslims and Hindus did not have many intermarriage. Before independence and the arrival of the Raj, the Muslims were the rulers and could choose among the girls of the Hindu community. Even the warrior Timur selected 200 of the most beautiful girls for his harem. But it all ended with the Raj and independence.

Frankly, I am intrigued to see so many Hindu girls marrying Muslim men. The contrast is stark, since in all cases these girls convert to Islam. This is mandatory and it is something that happens, but I suppose there is very little coercion involved, except in Pakistan where the situation is completely different. I wonder what could be the psychology behind these marriages.

the great divide

Obviously, there is some background. One thing that stands out to me is a loss of power by Muslims, Hindu girls became unreachable. So Muslim men, with no little encouragement from the mullahs, began assiduously courting these girls. The idea was to conquer them and marry them and father children. It’s like a victory in battle, after all in ancient wars women were the prize.

These are harsh thoughts, but I suppose there is some truth to them. Thus, the Muslim man will go to great lengths to woo a Hindu girl. What about the Hindu girl? There is a new freedom granted by independent India and the Hindu girl is exercising it to the fullest. One manifestation is these marriages. On the contrary, the opposite of Muslim girls marrying Hindu boys is just a trickle. Is the rigidity in Islam intense?