Muslim girl attempts to convert Hindu college mate to Islam, threatens her with murder if she refuses to offer namaz and wear burqa; mother of victim files FIR
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India 
20 August, 2024
Case Summary
In Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu girl’s mother stated that a Muslim woman, Arzoo Salmani, was attempting to convert her daughter to Islam. Her daughter met Arzoo while studying in college, and Arzoo began visiting their home despite the family's discomfort. Over time, Arzoo pressured the victim to befriend her aunt’s son and even sent pictures of different boys to her. The victim, who holds a government job, was pressured by Arzoo to travel with her to places like Deoband, Kashmir, and Kerala. When the girl refused, she was threatened with kidnapping and murder. Arzoo also extorted money from the victim's family several times and pressured her to offer namaz and wear a burqa. The victim’s mother believes Arzoo has targeted other Hindu girls as well. An FIR was filed on August 21, 2024, and the police are investigating the matter. Arzoo has not been arrested yet, but legal action is being pursued.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attempting to convert by harassment/threat- Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats in this case find their root on discriminatory grounds which have the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion and forceful circumcision. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment in an attempt to make the Hindu victim abandon his/her professed religion and adopt the religion of the perpetrator. In this sub-category, we would include cases where the non-Hindu perpetrator harassed, threatened or coerced the victim to convert, however, the Hindu victim did not convert to another faith. Cases where the victim was converted owing to the harassment and threats would be documented in another sub-category. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The case in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, involving Arzoo Salmani's attempts to convert a Hindu girl to Islam, exemplifies a hate crime rooted in predatory proselytisation, where threats and harassment were used to pressure the victim into abandoning her faith. Arzoo, under the guise of friendship, gradually imposed her religious beliefs on the girl, pressuring her to offer Namaz, wear a burqa, and travel to places linked with Islamic identity, such as Deoband, Kashmir, and Kerala. When the victim refused, she was threatened with kidnapping and murder, highlighting the coercive nature of Arzoo's efforts. The extortion of money from the family and the psychological manipulation further demonstrate the predatory intent behind the actions. Arzoo's targeting of the victim and possibly other Hindu girls shows a deliberate attempt to undermine their religious identity and forcibly impose a different faith upon them. This incident is not only a personal attack on the victim but also a broader assault on Hindu religious identity, underscoring how religious hate crimes can manifest through proselytisation driven by threats, intimidation, and harassment.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 0
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
