India: Muslim husband detains his Christian wife in an Islamic theological center

The treatment of this woman is reminiscent of what some Islamic authorities mandate for women who leave Islam. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-`ashriyyah, Al-Ja`fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.” There is only disagreement over whether the law applies only to men, or to women also – some authorities hold that apostate women should not be killed, but only detained in their houses until death.

“Christian woman accuses husband of detaining her in Islam theological centre,” by Ajay Kanth, Express News Service, January 16, 2022:

KOCHI: Rekindling the allegations of love jihad, a 20-year-old Christian woman has come out against her husband and his family members for allegedly detaining her in an Islam theological centre at Ponnani for 40 days to make her convert to Islam.

The incident came to light when the woman complained to the Pothanikad police station against the husband Aslam, 33, of Kothamangalam, and his family members charging them with dowry harassment, wrongful confinement, and insulting modesty of a woman. The police registered a case on December 7, 2021, based on her complaint.

Though the husband and his family members moved the sessions court here seeking anticipatory bail to avoid arrest in the incident submitting that they were falsely implicated in the case, the court on January 10 rejected the husband’s plea while granting bail to family members. As per the FIR, the woman was forcibly taken to the centre at Ponnani and was detained there for over 40 days without allowing her to go outside or contact others. The woman also submitted that when she escaped and reached her husband’s house, she was subjected to mental and physical torture.

“A probe is on. A preliminary report was filed in the court when the anticipatory bail was taken up for hearing. The woman has raised a lot of allegations against the family” said a senior police officer.

Police said the two, who were in love, got married at the Pothanikkad sub-registrar’s office on November 11, 2019, based on the assurance that both of them could live together following their own religious beliefs….