NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Minorities vice-chairman has written to home minister Amit Shah drawing his attention to a complaint of a father from Kozhikode in Kerala who has alleged that attempts were being made to convert his daughter to Islam by blackmailing her.

NCM vice chairman George Kurian on Monday issued a statement saying "the spate in organised religious conversion and using the victims for terror activities by trapping them through "love jihad" has shown that the Christian community is a soft target for Islamic radicals ." He goes on to add that "it is important that the home ministry takes note of this alarming trend and order a probe by the National Investigative Agency and bring in an effective law to curb such fraudulent activit- ies of radicalised elements."

The statement comes in the backdrop of the NCM having received complaints from two Christian families. In one incident that took place in Kerala's Kozhikode, a Christian college student was allegedly raped and the act was filmed by the accused who mounted pressure on the victim to get her converted to Islam and when she refused an attempt was made to abduct her from the hostel she was staying in.

Kurian says "...The fears expressed by the parents are not misplaced, given the experiences in similar cases in the past. Reports suggest out of 21 persons who joined the IS from Kerala, five were converted from Christianity." He quotes information published by Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference's Commission for Social Harmony and Vigilance, where it is said "around 4,000 girls have been subjected to conversion since 2005 (till 2012) after they fell in love".



In Video: Christians soft target for Islamic radicals: NCM to Home Minister Amit Shah