Muslim librarian encourages Hindu girls to interact with Muslim boys, influences them to read Islamic texts
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 
24 October, 2024
Case Summary
Asif Hasan, an employee at a government library in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, was accused of attempting to influence Hindu female students by promoting Islamic literature and encouraging them to form relationships with Muslim boys. The allegations led to significant concern among students and their families. According to the complainants, Hasan, motivated Hindu female students to read Islamic texts and interact with Muslim male students. He provided a "safe space" within and outside the library where these students could meet without supervision, leading to tension between students. The matter was first brought to the attention of the district administration by concerned students. In response, Moradabad District Magistrate Anuj Singh ordered an immediate inquiry into the allegations. He instructed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and the Joint Director of Education to investigate any unusual activities in the library. The District School Inspector was tasked with interviewing the complainants and gathering evidence for the inquiry. Six months prior to the date of the incident, similar complaints were lodged, prompting Hasan to take an extended leave from his position. During his absence, a female employee was assigned to the library, which reportedly reduced tensions. However, with Hasan’s return, the allegations resurfaced.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This particular case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under the subcategory: Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, under the core category of Predatory Proselytisation because of the various distinct components that demonstrate the perpetrator's bias against the Hindu faith and the deliberate attempt to alienate the victims from their Hindu identity. Further, based on case details, a tertiary category named, 'Pattern of targeting Hindu women/minors, has also been chosen here. 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. Here, Asif Hasan, an employee at the Moradabad library, allegedly used his position of trust to influence Hindu girls by encouraging interactions with Muslim boys and introducing them to Islamic texts. His actions suggest a calculated attempt to subtly manipulate the girls' religious beliefs, under the guise of fostering educational or social interactions. This subtle form of brainwashing is carried out with underlying animosity toward the victim's faith. The intention behind encouraging Hindu girls to interact with Muslim boys and read Islamic texts is not just to promote a different religion but to gradually weaken or replace their Hindu identity. This manipulation reflects a deeper, more insidious form of religious targeting, where the focus is not only on conversion but also on undermining the victim's existing beliefs and connections to their own faith. By exploiting the vulnerability of individuals—especially those from a different religious background—the perpetrator seeks to erode their Hindu identity through gradual exposure to another religion, all while masking the true intent. Since the underlying offence in this case is against girls of a specific faith and involves subtle tactics of indoctrination, which obviously stems from a bias against the Hindu faith, this case has been documented as a hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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