Etymology

love jihad

Today it means: An alleged effort by Muslim groups to target people of non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by having one of their number feign romantic love towards the target person. Full definition →

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The story

Compound of love + jihad. The term emerged in India around 2005, with its coinage attributed to Hindu activist Pramod Muthalik in reference to alleged conversions of Hindu women through romantic relationships or marriage. It was later also used by the Syro-Malabar Church in reference to alleged conversions of Christian women.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.