Fake conversions, sham marriages: Making a mockery of Islam

Fake conversions, sham marriages: Making a mockery of Islam

By Danish Ahmad Khan

The saga of Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali, now (in)famously known as Chand Mohammad-Fiza love story, has finally ended into a tailspin of sorts. A peeved Fiza, who allegedly attempted suicide by consuming 25 non-fatal sedative alprazolam tablets, narrated her harrowing tale before the mediapersons in Chandigarh after her newly-wed husband suddenly left her house where he has been staying for the last two months. Chand Mohammad, the elder son of former Haryana CM Bhajan Lal, after disappearing from Fiza’s house was reportedly spotted near Raj Ghat in New Delhi in an inebriated condition by police who brought him to the Daryaganj police station. Later, he left the police station saying that he would go back on his own. Chand Mohammad, however, went missing again only to resurface later outside Sector 14 residence of his brother Kuldeep Bishnoi to clarify before TV channels that he was missing his first wife Seema Bishnoi and children and that he could not stay away from them. He also said that he has not deserted Fiza and would like to stay with her as well.

Chander Mohan (43) alias Chand Mohammad and Anuradha Bali (37), now called Fiza Parveen, secretly converted to Islam and their nikaah solemnized by a Maulvi [Muslim priest] in Meerut in November 2008. Chand Mohammad paid Rs. 5 lakh as meher [Bridal price] to Fiza in order to skirt Hindu bigamy laws. They surfaced as husband and wife in December. The duo held a press conference to announce their marriage and revealed their plan to have a honeymoon in Switzerland and residence in Delhi. Professing their undying love for each other, they promised to live together till the last breath. They courted each other for the past five years before entering into wedlock as neo-Muslims.

Kalka MLA Chander Mohan, married to Seema Bishnoi for 13 years, was holding the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana before his conversion to Islam. Anuradha Bali alias Fiza was married to a Mohali businessman but was divorced just after one year of marriage. Anuradha was a former Deputy Advocate General in Punjab, but before her marriage to Chander Mohan was serving as Assistant Advocate General of Haryana. Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali were both not seen in public nor attending to their professional duties for the past one month giving credence to rumours about their elopement, which ultimately proved to be true after they resurfaced as lovestruck newly-weds.

The news about Chander Mohan’s conversion to Islam and second marriage came as rude shock to the Haryana government as well as his father ex-CM Bhajan Lal. They had to pay dearly for their ‘misdemeanours’ and had to lose their high-profile jobs. ‘Misdemenours’ because they had apparently converted to Islam to solemnize their respective second marriage. Chief Minister of Congress-led Haryana government Bhupinder Singh Hooda sacked Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan on November 26 on the plea that he absented from his office for past some time. Anuradha Bali too was sacked on the similar plea. An agitated Chand Mohammad’s father Bhajan Lal sharply reacted announcing that he has now disowned his rebel son Chander Mohan from his property and condemned his second marriage as a “shameless act”.

Fiza is now puzzled about her status. She says, “I don’t know what my status is today. I don’t even know if I am his wife or not. He is not coming out openly to tell. He used to send me messages for the last three years. He used to blackmail me that he will kill himself if I did not marry him. He threatened to shoot himself. I have been betrayed in true love. He has not spoken to me directly. I don't even know whether he is now Chander Mohan or Chand Mohammed. A very bad game has been played with my life.” Fiza also claims, “He was shown saying that I am a ‘badhiya cheez’ (good object). Am I a vegetable, cold drink or lassi that he said so? I have been used.” Fiza is now thinking in terms of seeking revenge for Chand Mohammad’s betrayal. In a latest development, Fiza, after great of confusion on whether to press rape charges or take some other legal recourse, has lodged a police complaint (FIR) against Chander Mohan on 16 February 2009 foisting rape charges on him.

How is Islam abused, defamed and mocked at?
However, this is not for the first time a Hindu couple secretly embraced Islam only to marry for the second time. Chander Mohan is already having his first wife who has not been divorced yet. Anuradha Bali is a divorcee and was looking for another man in her life to end her solitude. After embracing Islam and subsequent marriage, Chander Mohan cleverly escaped anti-bigamy laws under the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955. Besides Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali, Bollywood stars Dharmendra and Hema Malini had also secretly embraced Islam only to marry for the second time and gave their marriage a legal cover. Now, Dharmendra and Hema Malini remain a happily wed couple but never accepted Islam as their religion though being married only after embracing Islam. It may be recalled that there are several Hindu couples that married for the second time without divorcing their first wife or embracing Islam. Second marriage of Bollywood stars is a case in point. Raj Babbar married Smita Patil despite being already married to Zaheera, daughter of a widely respected Muslim poet-scholar. Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s second marriage is also another example. Paswan married for a second time without divorcing his first wife. The first wife is a Dalit, the caste that Paswan belongs to, while his second wife follows the Sikh religion. In yet another instance according to the BBC report of 9th February, 20-year-old Sabra Ahmadzai from Afghanistan left her parents home in November last year and is now in India for the past six weeks to trace her husband Major Chandshekhar Pant. Sabra worked as a Hindi translator in a hospital in Kabul and met Major Pant, a doctor in the Indian Army. Major Pant converted to Islam and married Sabra. After marriage Sabra could only spend fifteen days together with Major Pant when he was transferred back to India. Sitting at the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi with her hands clasped in prayers Sabra says, "He promised to return with his parents and left. In six months he only called me three times, and in his last call he told me Sabra you are young and you can marry again - I have two kids and a wife from before." Sabra recently met Major Pant now on posting in his hilly hometown of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. She has registered an anti-bigamy case against Major Pant and has vowed to pursue this case to logical end till justice is done to her. The Army has also so far not taken any action whatsoever against Major Pant to set the record straight.

But the recent marriage of Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali has again raised a controversy. This also once again brings Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s marriage into the eye of storm. Both marriages those of Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali and Dharmendra-Hema Malini are similar in nature. The only exception being that Dharmendra-Hema Malini remain happily wed couples while Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali’s marriage is on the verge of imminent break-up. The saddest part being that Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali couldn’t even spend their honeymoon in Switzerland, and the news of their break-up and legal battles is constantly doing the rounds.

It is apparent that in both the marriages, the religion of Islam has been abused, defamed and mocked at in the most rude and crass manner. Dharmendra and Hema Malini were never questioned or penalized in a court of law for misusing Islam to achieve their ulterior motives, and that too without remaining Muslims. Ever Major Chandrashekhar Pant, who married Sabra Ahmadzai after converting to Islam, misused Islam only to satiate his sexual desire and leaving Sabra in the lurk and unclear about her current marital status after returning back to India. The most saddest part, however, is that no Muslim organization or clerics worth their salt ever came forward to take action against the Maulvis who allegedly solemnized the ‘nikaah’ of Dharmendra-Hema Malini and Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali, or cared to ask these couples as to why they misused Islam for their marriage by not adhering to their new faith for their entire lifetime. But Chander Mohan went even a step further in making Islam a football, which could be kicked about whenever need be by all and sundry without being ever objected to by the faithfuls whatsoever. Chander Mohan misused Islam only to satiate his carnal desires. According to his wife Fiza, he was shown as saying that she was a ‘badhiya cheez’ (good object). She later strongly objected to his remarks and asked whether she was a vegetable, cold drink or lassi that he can consume whenever he wants to. Chander Mohan’s remarks about Fiza in itself shows how much he abhors and disrespects womenfolk and that he only wanted to enjoy women and derive sexual pleasure from them. This also shows that he has scant respect for Islam or even his own religion. He did not have any genuine intention to embrace Islam, but only wanted to escape anti-bigamy laws as per Hindu Marriage Act of 1955. Had both Chander Mohan and Anuradha Bali genuinely intended to embrace Islam and lead their married lives as ideal Muslims, they should have done so long before during their five years of courtship itself. But during the five years they only made fun and frolic, and only a month before their marriage they secretly embraced Islam and immediately married.

Muslims have always been accused of using Islam as springboard to spread terrorism in the name of jihad, but what should Muslims do when their religion is used by people of other religions only to satiate their sexual needs in an illegal manner, which neither their religion nor Islam ever permits. The shamelessness of Chander Mohan can also be gauged from the fact that reacting to his dismissal from the post of Deputy CM, Chander Mohan said, “Politicians across party lines are guilty of having affairs and if he begins to expose all that he knows, it will not augur well for any party.” Chander Mohan also wants to prove that Islam in fact obligates Muslims to keep number of wives to fulfill their sexual needs in a legal manner. This is, however, nothing but a slur on this great religion and a hard slap on the face of entire Muslim community for taking for granted that Islam is above board and cannot be abused or defamed by anyone.

Besides Chander Mohan, another fraud was committed by his illustrious father ex-CM Bhajan Lal. He not only told lies but also fooled the people and media in his statement about disowning Chander Mohan from family property. Chander Mohan claimed before the media that his father didn’t disown him only after conversion to Islam and subsequent second marriage, but he was ‘disowned’ long before. The wily Bhajan Lal merely made an announcement before the media after such a long time. In fact, Chander Mohan was “disowned” by the family in the sense that under a family settlement his share in the property was transferred in the name of his minor son, Sidharth. According to the legal records, the property was transferred in the name of Sidharth with only Chander Mohan’s consent. The settlement was signed by concerned parties on 20th February 2008. It was not only Bhajan Lal, and Chander Mohan’s mother, Jasma Devi, who transferred his share in their property to their eldest grandson, but it Chander Mohan himself who transferred his property in the name of Sidharth. Chander Mohan signed the settlement just a few days after the death of his son Mohit, with whom he was greatly attached. After nine days of the signing of settlement, Kuldeep Bishnoi (Chander Mohan’s younger brother) and Siddharth filed suits before a Hisar court and requested to issue declarations indicating that they were now the owners of the property acquired through their respective share as per settlement. Within a month the court issued decrees in favour of plaintiffs. After the decree, Sidharth (Chander Mohan’s nominee) became the owner of properties that included a Panchkula house in Sector 8; two plots in Sector 15-A, Hisar; a shop in Nai Mandi, Adampur; one flat on Aurangzeb Road, Delhi; and agricultural land at different places (all earlier owned by Jasma Devi). He also got an industrial plot in Panchkula which was earlier jointly owned by his father Chander Mohan and uncle Kuldeep and a booth in Adampur earlier owned by Chander Mohan. One house in Model Town, Adampur, owned by SRB Investment Pvt Ltd, 135, Golf Links, New Delhi, and a piece of agricultural land owned by Seth Enterprises Pvt Ltd, Golf Links, New Delhi, were also transferred to Sidharth. Chander Mohan's determination to marry Anuradha Bali was known to the family in 2007 itself. It is apparent therefore that the transfer of Chander Mohan’s property to Sidharth can be construed as a sort of alimony paid by him to his first wife Seema, or this also be considered as a preemptive step against any future claims by anyone against Chander Mohan which would very well have occurred with his marriage to Anuradha Bali. Chander Mohan thus made a clever move by transferring his property to his son to ward off any future claims by Anuradha Bali, and also continue to enjoy her after his so-called marriage.

Polygamy in Islam & Hinduism
Islam permits polygamy and has allowed four wives at a time with the condition that they be treated equally. According to the Holy Qur’an taking more than one wife is only permissible, not ordained. The Holy Qur’an says: "And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards orphans, then marry such women as seem good to you, two, three and four, but if you fear that you may not do justice to them, then (marry) only one" (4: 3). It may be noted that this verse was revealed after the battle of Uhud. In that battle, many Muslim men died and as such a great social problem for the protection of widows and orphans arose, necessitating an institutionalized polygamy for a convenient solution of the problem.

Even in Hinduism, Manu sanctioned polygamy. There has been a great deal of controversy as to whether the Hindu Law sanctioned polygamy. This, however, becomes clear if the Law of Manu regarding polygamy is reviewed. According to Manu, following is the Law on this subject:

(1.) "For the first marriage of twice-born men (wives) of equal caste are recommended, but for those who through desire proceed (to marry again) the following females, (chosen) according to the (direct) order (of the castes) are most approved." (Here follows the list of women who may be approved of) (Manu, iii 12).

(5.) "But he who foolishly causes that (duty) to be performed by another while his wife of equal caste is alive, is declared by the ancients (to be) as (despicable) as a Kandala (spring from the) Brahamana caste." (Manu, ix 87).

Thus, the above quotations amply indicate that polygamy was sanctioned according to the Law of Manu. This has also been settled in the Courts of British India that there is no restriction on a Hindu as to the number of his wives he can keep, or that one may marry again without his wife's consent. However, according to the current practice Hindus could contract a second marriage only after the death of their first wife or divorce. Not otherwise. And, this surely defies the Law of Manu.

The controversial marriage of Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali has clearly brought into focus the ambiguity in the law regarding second marriage by Hindus after converting to Islam. The Supreme Court in a celebrated 1995 order held such marriage illegal saying that bigamy could attract a sentence of up to seven years in jail and fine. Tahir Mahmood, a Law Commission member and noted Islamic scholar, says, “If a married Hindu during the subsistence of his first marriage embraces Islam and marries again it is illegal and punishable under the Indian Penal Code even if conversion is absolutely genuine.”

According to Islamic scholar and Law Commission member Tahir Mahmood, “If a married Hindu during the subsistence of his first marriage embraces Islam and marries again it is illegal and punishable under the Indian Penal Code even if conversion is absolutely genuine.” Even in the Sarla Mudgal case of 1995, the Supreme Court of India had ruled that a Hindu husband, married under the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, cannot marry a second time simply by embracing Islam. If he remarries without lawfully dissolving the first marriage, he would be guilty of bigamy. Under Section 494 of the IPC, bigamy invites a punishment of up to seven years in jail and fine. According to Mahmood, “Even born Muslims are not allowed such reckless prodigality by their religion and its law. The idea that Islam gave a license for indulging in bigamy to anyone converting was ‘sheer nonsense’. The traditional Islamic law allowed bigamy in exceptional cases only. And, this is permissible only if the man treats his wives with absolute justice.”

It may be recalled that akin to Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali’s case, one Jitender Mathur, a Hindu by birth, converted to Islam ten years after his marriage just only to marry Sunita (who also converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim name of Fatima). He was married to his first wife Meena Mathur in 1978, and had three children by her. In 1988 he married Sunita alias Fatima. Later on he reverted to Hinduism leaving behind Fatima in the lurch, who refused to revert to Hinduism any more. Meena Mathur and Fatima both petitioned the Supreme Court that declared that unless an existing marriage was dissolved, remarriage by any spouse was void and punishable under section 494 IPC.

In one of the similar ruling, a Supreme Court judge said, “A person who mockingly adopts another religion where plurality of marriage is permitted to renounce a previous marriage and desert wife cannot be permitted to take advantage of this exploitation as religion is not a commodity to be exploited.”

Who’s responsible for this sorry plight of Islam?
Though in the case of Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali some Muslim ulemas from Darul-Ifta (the fatwa department of the Islamic seminary Darul-Uloom Deoband) have condemned Chander Mohan for his ‘lowly act’. But this verbal condemnation is surely not enough. What about the clerics who solemnized the ‘nikaah’ of Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali and Dharmendra-Hema Malini? The clerics have been let off without any rebuke or penal action whatsoever by the reputed Islamic seminary. This brings their true love for Islam into question. Such clerics are bringing disrepute to Islam and constitute the part of the bandwagon of Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali and Dharmendra-Hema Malini in damaging Islam itself by their lowly acts. Even Muslim organizations such as All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat (AIMMM), All India Milli Council (AIMC), Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Jamiatul Ulama-e Hind (JUH) etc. are equally responsible for perpetrating such crimes as they have neither raised their voice or taken any penal action whatsoever against the culprits. This unholy coterie of Muslim clerics and organizations are gravely responsible for the sorry plight of Islam and Muslims in India as such. They are hell-bent, it seems, on strangulating the great religion of Islam just to achieve their selfish goals. Action should have been taken by now against couples like Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali and Dharmendra-Hema Malini by invoking the provisions of bigamy law under Section 494 of the IPC. But, no Muslim organization has even cared to give a thought about this whatsoever.

Steps need to be taken to tackle such crimes
It is obvious that Hindu couples like Chander Mohan-Anuradha Bali and Dharmendra-Hema Malini have time and again misused and abused Islam to fulfill their carnal desires, and several more would continue to do so in future as well. It is also obvious that such couples would be assisted by so-called Muslim clerics in fulfilling their dirty and lowly desires. The time has come now that such crimes need be stopped forthwith and these couples and Muslim clerics be severely punished through appropriate punitive action taken by respective community leaders as well as the government.

Following steps, in my opinion, would be appropriate enough to tackle such issues:

Islam now seeks justice. But the million-dollar question is after all from whom? In other words, who are the real culprits? Who are those responsible who couldn’t defend Islam from the onslaught of sham marriages and fake conversions? I consider both the Maulvis and couples like Chandra Mohan-Anuradha Bali and Dharmendra-Hema Malini equally responsible to bring such unpardonable disrespect to Islam. Those Muslim clerics who helped them convert to Islam and solemnized their nikaah, which was obviously for the sake of second marriage and not professing Islam in the true sense, should not be spared at all from penal action and stringent punishment from the Muslim community as such. It is now incumbent on the community leaders of both the religions and the Government to take strictest possible action and put an end to such illegal and defamatory activities.

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[Please find a related story published by IANS (www.ians.in) on 19 February 2009.]

Religious conversion for second marriage un-Islamic: Muslim clerics
By Khalid Akhter

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) Muslim clerics have termed as "un-Islamic" and "unacceptable" conversion to Islam to escape legal complications of a second marriage, citing the example of Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammed and Anuradha Bali alias Fiza whose apparent wedding of convenience is now showing signs of strain.

"Adopting Islam with an intention for second marriage is not only un-Islamic but against reason as well," renowned Muslim scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan told IANS.

The debate about religious conversion was triggered after then Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan announced his second marriage to former law officer Anuradha Bali and their conversion to Islam Dec 17 last year. Chander Mohan is the father of three teenagers from his first marriage.

The much-hyped love affair soured sooner than expected after the rechristened couple of Chand Mohammad and Fiza fell apart. Chand suddenly left Fiza's home in Punjab's Mohali town Jan 28 and has been elusive since then.

Quoting from a hadith, Prophet Mohammed's saying, Khan said such conversion is "unacceptable" and "childish".

The author of around 200 books and a known authority on interpretation of the holy Quran said that embracing Islam "in its true spirit should be for the sake of truth".

"Conversion should not be for the sake of marriage or any personal motive. The motive of conversion should be truth... The realisation of the truth in a religion can be achieved only after in-depth study and discussions about the religion," Khan said.

To prevent such conversions, Khan laid emphasis on educating people about the sanctity of the institution of marriage and "not to take it as fun".

"It is not possible to check such conversions. We are living in a society which provides freedom on such aspects to every one. The only thing we can do is to educate people about the seriousness and sanctity of marriage. Marriage is not a fun thing and we need to make people understand this," Khan said.

A senior cleric of Darul Uloom, a highly revered seminary in Deoband town of Uttar Pradesh, also denounced the conversions with the objective of marrying again.

"Adopting Islam with the intention to have a second wife is un-Islamic, incorrect and not justifiable," said Qari Usman, an expert on hadith.

About the Chand-Fiza marriage and conversion, Usman said: "Although he (Chand) became a Muslim, the whole chain of events has come out in a way that has sent a wrong message about the religion in society. People should not use religion for such motives."
Usman has also been pro-vice chancellor of the seminary that attracts thousands of students from India and other countries.

Darul Ifta, the fatwa department of the Darul Uloom, has also slammed Chander Mohan, saying his conversion was a "lowly act".

Mufti Muqarram Ahmad, a leading cleric in Delhi, says accepting Islam should be in consonance with belief in the tenets of Islam and "not for using it for personal hidden motives".

"One cannot know the real intention of a person but using Islam for purposes like to have a second wife is not in the spirit of Islam," Ahmad said.

(Khalid Akhter can be contacted at khalid.a@ians.in)