Hindu travel vlogger pressured to convert to Islam by members of Muslim community during visit to Jordan

Case ID : 3234582 | Location : Aqaba, Aqaba Governorate, Jordan | Date of Incident : Thu, 9 October, 2025

Case ID : 3234582

Aqaba, Aqaba Governorate, Jordan

9 October, 2025

Hindu travel vlogger pressured to convert to Islam by members of Muslim community during visit to Jordan

Predatory Proselytisation

Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion

Case Summary

In Aqaba, Jordan, a Muslim-majority country, a Hindu travel vlogger named Shubham Pathak was pressured for religious conversion by members of the Muslim community. Shubham Pathak, identifying himself as a secular Hindu, uploaded a video on his Instagram "thelostmonekyy" on 10th October 2025, describing his experience in a Muslim majority country. He stated that he experienced persistent efforts by several Muslim individuals to influence him to convert to Islam. He described the situation as uncomfortable, as he faced constant pressure for conversion. He also noted that despite his fondness for Jordan and its people, the repeated attempts at religious persuasion occurred nearly every day and left a lasting negative impression. The vlogger emphasised that he did not expect to be questioned about changing his faith while travelling and expressed disappointment at the actions of those who pressured him. The incident sparked widespread online discussion, with many social media users supporting his right to religious freedom and condemning attempts at forced conversions.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Predatory proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is - Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. 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 has 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, forceful circumcision etc. 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 to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. This case has been added to the tracker because the Hindu victim, travel vlogger Shubham Pathak, was repeatedly pressured by members of the Muslim community in Jordan to renounce his religion and embrace Islam. Pressuring a Hindu individual to abandon his faith and accept another religion constitutes a direct assault on his religious identity and dignity. It is not a matter of personal choice; it is coercion rooted in hostility towards the victim's Hindu identity. Such an attempt reflects religious animosity because the act is not simply about personal differences but about erasing the victim’s Hindu faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. These actions stem from inherent hostility towards the victim's professed faith since Abrahamic faiths believe that any non-adherent to the faith is subject to conversion, no matter the means to achieve it. Such acts were not merely personal crimes; they were rooted in a desire to dominate and erase the religious identity of the victim. Since such predatory actions stem from doctrinal animosity towards the Hindu faith and its adherents, this case is being documented as a religiously motivated hate crime. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when the event occurred or when the victim’s ordeal began. As the video was posted on 10 October 2025, the date of the incident has been recorded accordingly.