Hindu boy lured to convert with promises of 'hoors', forced to recite Kalma, eat meat and undergo circumcision
Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India 
27 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, a minor Hindu boy was forcefully converted to Islam by a Muslim man named Mohammad Imran. The accused brainwashed the minor into conversion by convincing him that he would be rewarded with 'hoors' in Jannat if he renounces his faith and accepts Islam. The accused also forced the minor Hindu boy to recite Kalma, eat meat and undergo circumcision. The incident took place in the Civil Lines police station area. According to the family, Imran took the minor to Delhi and Kaliyar Sharif in Roorkee, where he was brainwashed. The family further stated that the accused forced the teenager to undergo circumcision, made him recite the Kalma, and changed his name to Sufiyan. Following his conversion, he was compelled to offer Namaz at a mosque, and there were even plans to take him to Saudi Arabia. The complaint states that the minor came into contact with Imran while frequenting a government ground. Over time, Imran allegedly exerted influence over the child, lured him in, and took him away. As per the family’s allegations, the minor was first taken to Kaliyar Sharif, where he was subjected to indoctrination. He was then circumcised at a salon near Holy Angels School, made to recite the Kalma, and pressured into conversion by being fed Haleem Biryani.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the first 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. 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 second sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. Within this, two tertiary categories- Conversion of Minor and Family claims grooming have also been selected. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. This case is a distinct case of a religiously motivated hate crime as the perpetrator tried to use the tactics of subtle brainwashing and intimidation to convert a minor boy to Islam. The family of the minor Hindu boy confirmed that the perpetrator, Imran, deliberately targeted their son, isolating him from his family, and subjecting him to a series of coercive actions that led to his conversion. Firstly, the minor was brainwashed with promises of getting 'hoors' after conversion. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully matured, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents, to identify and address instances of religious manipulation. Consequently, cases involving religious manipulation of minors not only represent an infringement on an individual's religious freedom but also demonstrate a calculated strategy of targeting those who are less able to resist or understand the long-term implications of conversion, making it a significant case of religious motivated hate crime. Further, he was taken to religious sites and made to participate in Islamic religious rituals against his will, pointing to a systematic effort to strip him of his original religious identity through intimidation and pressure. The victim's family testified against the accused that he deceptively circumcised their minor child. Though circumcision is not a prerequisite to converting to Islam, however, it is often seen that it is used as an intimidatory tactic to make the Hindu victim abandon his/her professed religion and adopt the religion of the perpetrator. This sort of harassment is rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and is therefore documented as a religiously motivated hate crime in this Hindu hate tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 0
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
