Love Jihad: A Feminist Retelling By Sameena Dalwai

EXPLORE A BOLD, UNFLINCHING, AND PROVOCATIVE ACCOUNT OF GENDER, FAITH, VIGILANTISM, AND INTERFAITH LOVE IN MODERN INDIA BY SAMEENA DALWAI.

From public controversies over zoo animal names to state-level legislation and aggressive police actions, contemporary public discourse in India has been heavily shaped by the narrative that Muslim men are luring Hindu women into marriage as a tool for religious conversion.

In Love Jihad: A Feminist Retelling, legal scholar and activist Sameena Dalwai dismantles this prevailing propaganda, arguing that "love jihad" is fundamentally not a category of relationship, but a surveillance slogan designed to police female autonomy. Exposing how vigilantes weaponize this narrative to enter homes, monitor phones, and dictate the friendships of adult women, Dalwai explores the multidimensional lives of Hindu women, Muslim men, and Dalit Bahujan communities. Blending sharp legal analysis, statistics, and reports with irreverent humor, poetry, and personal narratives, this is a bold, vital, and groundbreaking read unlike any other.

Why this book is a must-have:

• Fearless & Blunt Analysis: Critically examines state legislation, societal vigilantism, and the intersection of gender, faith, and politics in India.

• Unique Literary Style: Expertly weaves serious socio-legal documentation with poetry, wit, and deeply human storytelling.

• Empowering Feminist Perspective: Centers the autonomy, agency, and lived realities of women against systemic control.

• Essential Contemporary Non-Fiction: A mandatory addition for readers interested in sociology, gender studies, law, and modern Indian society.

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