Muslim man associated with SDPI tries to convert married Hindu woman and her daughter, insults Hinduism
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 
1 November, 2024
Case Summary
On November 2, Hasan Badhusha, a former member of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), was arrested in Coimbatore for allegedly attempting to convert a woman, M Arthi, and her daughter to Islam and for making derogatory remarks against Hinduism. The complaint, filed by Arthi's husband, D Sathyamoorthy, detailed that Hasan, an old friend of Arthi, had influenced her religious beliefs, disparaged Hinduism, and tried to create discord in their marriage by promising to marry her in exchange for a loan. Sathyamoorthy also reported that Hasan gave Arthi and their 14-year-old daughter a Quran to encourage conversion, leading to conflict within the family. In June, after Sathyamoorthy and his family moved away, Hasan allegedly assaulted him and urged Arthi to divorce her husband. SDPI is the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), which has been linked to extremist activities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been documented as a religious hate crime because the details clearly show that the offender had a bias against the Hindu faith and that the offence was performed in conjunction with that bias. Based on the case details, it has been added under two prime categories of the tracker. the first category selected here is- Predatory Proselytisation. Further, as per case details, three sub-categories have been selected under the aforementioned category. The first is- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The second sub-category relevant here is- Conversion/ attempts to convert by inducement. Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases therefore are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. The third sub-category under which this case has been placed- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, where 'Family claims grooming of minor' has been selected as the ter-tiary category. 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. Apart from the aforementioned category, another prime category has been selected here, based on case details, which is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category chosen is- Attacked for opposing radicals/or trying to save victim from radicals. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This case involving Hasan Badhusha’s alleged actions has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under several categories, which highlight different aspects of the incident. Firstly, Hasan allegedly belittled Hinduism to influence Arthi, Sathyamoorthy's wife, and to create a negative view of their shared faith. Sathyamoorthy's complaint specifically mentions Hasan making disparaging statements about Hinduism, which he used as a tactic to distance Arthi from her husband and their religion. This tactic indicates an intention to undermine her religious beliefs as part of his conversion attempt. Secondly, Hasan offered to marry Arthi in exchange for financial support (a Rs 2 lakh loan to operate his business), which could be interpreted as an inducement aimed at securing her conversion to Islam. Thirdly, Arthi's husband testified that Hasan provided their 14-year-old daughter with a Quran and, through this, attempted to influence the religious beliefs of a minor, indicating a lack of consent and a genuine change of conscience. 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. Lastly, when Sathyamoorthy attempted to intervene and preserve his family’s beliefs, he faced physical assault by Hasan. The attack appears to have been triggered by Sathyamoorthy’s opposition to Hasan’s radical influence over his family. Each of these points demonstrates how Hasan’s actions are part of a broader pattern of predatory proselytisation and religious manipulation, targeting a Hindu family and attempting to replace their beliefs with Islam through a combination of emotional, psychological, and financial tactics. For all these reasons, this case has been added to the tracker.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 1
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 3
Age Group
- Minor 1
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
