Shehla Rashid tells Muslims to side with love, draws flak

NEW DELHI: Referring to the recent murder of Ankit Saxena by his girlfriend's family, student activist Shehla Rashid Shora has asked the Muslim community if they would peacefully let their sisters or daughters marry non-Muslims of their choice. Slamming the bogey of 'love jihad', she said, "If we do not make room for love, we deserve to be ruled by hatred."
Rashid told TOI, "Women today are held hostage by the community and its beliefs and it is the religion of men that dictates her choice."
She also wrote on the social media, "The way an adult Muslim woman, Hadiya, has a right to choose Shefin Jahan as her life partner, another adult Muslim woman has a right to choose Ankit Saxena as her partner.It's the Constitution, and not the Islamic or Hindu law, that gives both of them this right."
Special Marriage Act allows interfaith couples to register a marriage without conversion, she said. "Let us please uphold the same standard for all adult Muslim women regardless of who they love."
She also said that while a 20-year-old Hindu girl who said "I love Muslims" was driven to suicide by BJP members, a 23-year-old youth who dared to love a Muslim girl was also killed by conservatives. That, she said, should shame us as a society.
The post attracted trolls but Rashid said she would not respond to them as she was arguing for peace.