Saif talks about Love Jihad

In a special article for Indian Express Saif Ali Khan opened his heart and talked freely against Love Jihad and death threats he and Kareena got while marriage.

Talking about his parents, he said that his mom Sharmila Tagore is a Hindu and his father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was a Muslim. He said that even his parents’ marriage was not peacefully accepted by anyone.

“The royals had their issues; the Brahmins theirs. And, of course, extremists on both religious sides issued death threats. But the marriage still happened — the fact that my grandmother also had to fight to marry the not-as-wealthy and therefore not-so-suitable nawab of Pataudi might have helped things along,” Saif wrote.

About his marriage he wrote, “When Kareena and I married, there were similar death threats, with people on the Net saying ridiculous things about ‘love jihad’. We follow whatever religion or spiritual practice we believe in.”

“I have prayed in church and attended mass with Kareena, while she has bowed her head at dargahs and prayed in mosques. When we purified our new home, we had a havan and a Quran reading and a priest sprinkling holy water — no chances taken!”

In the article, Saif further said that he doesn’t know what “love jihad” is adding that it is a complication created in India.

“I don’t know what “love jihad” is. It is a complication created in India. I know intermarriages because I am a child of one and my children are born out of it. Intermarriage is not jihad. Intermarriage is India. India is a mix. Ambedkar said the only way to annihilate caste is intermarriage. It is only through intermarriage that the real Indians of tomorrow can be truly equipped to take our nation forward with the right perspective. I am the product of such a mixed marriage and my life has been full of Eid and Holi and Diwali. We were taught to do adaab and namaste with equal reverence,” the article read.

Saif is saddened by the fact that religion is given more importance than humanity and writes, “It is sad that too much importance is given to religion, and not enough to humanity and love. My children were born Muslim but they live like Hindus (with a pooja ghar at home), and if they wanted to be Buddhist, they would have my blessing. That’s how we were brought up.”