Naseeruddin Shah: Concerned about religious divide created in the country

Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah says he is concerned over the divide being created in the country between Hindus and Muslims in the name of love jihadThe actor said I am really furious with the way divisions are being created like the love jihad tamasha in UP Firstly the people who coined this phrase donrsquot know the meaning of the word jihadI donrsquot think that anyone would be so stupid to actually believe that Muslims will overtake the Hindu population it is unimaginable For that Muslims will have to have so many babies So this whole notion is unrealrdquoLast year in November Uttar Pradesh became the first state in India to pass an ordinance against forcible or dishonest religious conversionsIn the last few months states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have also revealed plans to enact laws to counter alleged attempts to convert Hindu women to Islam in the guise of marriage which political leaders often refer to as ldquolove jihadrdquoThe Bandish Bandits actor believes the term love jihad stems from the idea of stigmatising interfaith marriages and stop social interactions between Hindus and MuslimsldquoThey not only want to discourage interfaith marriages but also curtail social interactions between Hindus and Muslimsrdquo he addedShah who is married to theatrefilm actor Ratna Pathak Shah said he always believed that his marriage to a Hindu woman would set a healthy precedentldquoWe have taught our children about every religion But we have never told them that they belong to any particular religion I always believed that these differences would slowly fade away I believed that my marriage to a Hindu woman would set a healthy precedent I donrsquot think this is wrongrdquo he saidThe actor said when he was about to tie the knot with the Ratna Pathak Shah his mother had asked if he would want his wouldbe wife to convert to his religion and his answer was noShah said even though his mother was uneducated and was brought up in an orthodox household she was completely against the idea of changing ones religionMy mother who was uneducated brought up in an orthodox household prayed five times a day observed Roza all her life went for the Haj pilgrimage she said The things that have been taught to you in your childhood how can that change It is not right to change onersquos religion he saidThe criticallyacclaimed performer said he feels saddened to see the harassment young couples are facing these days in the name of love jihadThis is not the world I had dreamt ofrdquo he addedIn a 2018 interview with KarwaneMohabbat Shah had said that at many places the death of a cow is being given more importance than the killing of a policemanThe veteran actor had also expressed anxiety over the wellbeing of his children who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religionSoon after the interview was released online the actors remark evoked outrage among some social media usersIn the new interview Shah said he failed to understand the reason behind such an adverse reaction to his statementldquoAll I had said was that the death of a cow had taken precedence over the death of a person and it makes me very angry This was misinterpreted that I was expressing fear when in fact I never used the word fearI have repeatedly said that I am not afraid I am angry Why should I be afraid I am in my own country I am at my own home Five generations of my family are buried in this land My ancestors have been living here for the last three hundred years If this doesnrsquot make me a Hindustani then what doesrdquo he askedThe actor said it has become difficult for a person to share their views publicly due to fear of instant backlashThe difficult part is there is no possibility of freely exchanging ideas anymore If you say anything even in support of the nation you are accused instantlyrdquo Shah added