Complex Tales of Conversion and Religious Brainwashing Emerges

Thiruvananthapuram: Nimisha, a Hindu love jihad victim, is likely to have joined the dreaded Islamic terror network of ISIS, claims her mother Bindu. The victim, missing from Kasargode,  had converted to Christianity in November 2015  to marry a Christian youth. The duo later converted to Islam, when Nimisha became Fatima. Along with the man Isa, she is said to have travelled to Sri Lanka, from where they stand missing, from Nov 2015. She is one among the 17 missing youths of Kasargode. A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Nimisha was a student of Poinachy’s Century Dental College. Bindu has alleged that police showed a completely lax attitude towards her, when she filed a case. 

 

Bindu’s disclosure has gripped the entire state of Kerala in terror. Describing her daughter as a “simple girl who used to love wearing salwar kameez”, Nimisha disclosed about her relationship with Isa, a native of Palakkad, in 2015. “My daughter is missing now, and newspapers say she has joined the Islamic State. Will the police help us?” narrates a helpless Bindu, who has lashed out against the state police department for not initiating a timely investigation, in spite of having made repeated pleas.

“We lodged a missing complaint with the police and filed Habeas Corpus petition in the High Court. Our daughter appeared in the court along with her husband. We got to know that she had converted to Islam and taken the name Fathima Nimisha and her husband, a native of Palakkad had also converted to Islam from Christianity,” said Bindu.

 

“The magistrate allowed Nimisha to take the decision, and she chose to go with Isa. Later, we came to know that she was pregnant and was staying with Isa’s step-mother in Palakkad. We also informed police that Isa’s brother had married a girl from Ernakulam similarly and that Isa had transferred his properties to his step-mother’s name, but the police did not show any keenness” the distraught Bindu added.

 

“My daughter, along with her husband visited us in May and said that they are planning to move to Sri Lanka . Though we resisted, they were adamant to go. Till 18 May Nimisha used to call me but after that she started sending only Whatsapp messages. When I insisted on hearing her voice, she began sending voice messages. After 4  June she has neither called or messaged us. If the police had made timely intervention we would not have lost our daughter”, alleged Bindu.

 

According to police, even though links with ISIS has not been confirmed or proven, “a complex tale of conversion and religious brainwashing, which led them out of the country is emerging,” says Kerala DGP Loknath Behra. Reports state that 3 more complaints of missing persons have been filed on Saturday. If confirmed, the count could reach 20. 

The families realised something was amiss after one of the relatives, among the 16, got a message that all of them have reached their destination safely. Since then all their phones have been switched off. 

 

ISIS the Sunni group has captured large areas in Syria and Iraq in 2014. They announced the established of a Muslim caliphate and has been asking Muslim worldover to join the “caliphate”.