love jihad

proper noun

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.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

love jihad1

proper noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Love Jihad.

Love Jihad2

proper noun
  1. IndiagovernmentAn 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.

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

love jihad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/love%20jihad

MLA

“love jihad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/love%20jihad. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “love jihad,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/love%20jihad.

Source: love jihad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.