Hello friends, your same Ex-Muslim is here again – the one who left Islam and chose the path of humanity and reason. Those who read my blog know that I grew up in a Muslim family and struggled with Islam’s rules, practices, and their real-world impacts. Today, I am talking about the heart-wrenching news from Basti district in Uttar Pradesh, where a man named Asfarul Haq and his gang face serious allegations of trapping more than 300 Hindu girls, blackmailing them, forcibly converting them, and pushing them into prostitution. This is not just a crime story; it is a dark chapter of using religion as a weapon to oppress women. For someone like me—an Ex-Muslim—this news makes my blood boil. Let’s break it down a little.

According to the report, Asfarul Haq used to target Hindu girls by introducing himself as “Prince.” He would tie a kalava (sacred thread) on his wrist, lure them with promises of jobs or marriage to gain their trust, then trap them in a love net, make obscene videos, and blackmail them. If they resisted, he threatened their families, talked about kidnapping their brothers, and even went as far as gang rape. A brave victim filed a police complaint on January 15, 2026, after which Asfarul was arrested and sent to jail. Several members of his family are also named in the FIR, including his brother Shan (who is absconding). The police investigation revealed many pieces of evidence from his phone, social media, and a secret hotel—where there was no reception, no ID checks, hidden doors, and narrow alleys… like a terrifying den.

As an Ex-Muslim, I see the bitter truth of “Love Jihad” in this case—something some people dismiss as a conspiracy theory, but in cases like this, it feels very real. Asraful was not just a predator; he exerted pressure for forced conversion—he tried to make girls chant “Islam Zindabad.” The Quran (for example, Surah 2:221) allows Muslim men to marry non-Muslim women, but many interpretations emphasize conversion and dominance. The historical tradition of treating captive women as war booty during conquests still lingers in the mindset of some religious extremists. I am not saying every Muslim does this—most are good people—but when religion gets mixed with everyday life in this way, such incidents are born.

What hurts the most is how systematic it was. Making videos of more than 300 girls for blackmail, then pushing them into prostitution, with the network extending to Nepal and other states—this is human trafficking disguised under religious pretexts. Listening to the victim’s interview with Aaj Tak brings tears to the eyes. She resisted conversion, insisted on remaining Hindu, but in return faced torture, threats to attack her family, and gang rape by Asfarul and his brothers. The entire family’s involvement reminds me of those conservative Muslim communities where religious “purity” leads to collective silence or complicity.

But this is not an isolated incident. Many old and recent cases have surfaced in India under the name “Love Jihad”—where the pattern of love traps, blackmail, gang rape, and trafficking has repeated again and again. As an Ex-Muslim, I feel these cases cannot simply be dismissed as “individual crimes”; they show the exploitation of women using religion as a weapon.

The Basti case came to light in 2026, but it resembles the Ajmer case (1992)—where influential family members used to trap schoolgirls, rape them, blackmail them with photos/videos, and keep them silent for years. In Ajmer too, people with religious influence were involved, and victims were threatened into silence. In Basti, Ajfarul pretended to be Hindu by wearing a kalava, made videos for blackmail, and even committed gang rape with family members—exactly the same pattern. Many reports have called it “Ajmer-type case” because both involved organized gangs, blackmail, and networks of sexual exploitation.

In Uttar Pradesh itself, there have been several such cases. For example, in 2025, the Changur Baba (Jalaluddin) conversion racket was busted in Balrampur—where Hindu women were lured, trapped in love nets, or forcibly converted to Islam. A woman from Karnataka narrated how she was taken to Saudi Arabia to be sold, gang-raped, and forcibly converted. That racket was also linked to “Love Jihad,” where victims were trapped using Hindu names for conversion and exploitation.

Another example: In 2025, UP Police arrested 10 people under “Mission Asmita” from Rajasthan, Bengal, Uttarakhand, etc.—who were running large-scale illegal conversion rackets. “Love Jihad” allegations were also there, targeting Hindu girls for conversion and radicalization attempts.

In older cases, after the “Love Jihad” law was implemented in UP in 2020–2021, hundreds of cases were registered—for example, in Muzaffarnagar, a Muslim youth was accused of fraud and forced conversion, though the victim later called it political. Still, in many cases, arrests were made on family complaints, and women were placed in shelters. In 2025, Madhya Pradesh also saw allegations of a “Love Jihad plot” against a Congress leader, where a conversion racket was exposed.

All these cases appear different, but the pattern is the same: building trust with a Hindu name/identity, trapping in relationships, blackmail with obscene videos/photos, pressure for religious conversion, and often gang rape or trafficking. From an Ex-Muslim perspective, this looks like misuse of certain Islamic interpretations (such as emphasis on converting non-Muslim women), where religion is used as a power game.

I left Islam because I could no longer tolerate the lack of women’s rights and consent in these texts (Quran, Hadith). The Prophet’s marriages, rules on slavery—they are twisted in modern times to justify control over women’s bodies. The Basti case is no different; such cases keep emerging from Kerala to UP, often linked to funded conversion networks. Why target Hindu girls? Because in some interpretations, bringing “kafirs” into Islam is considered a virtuous act, and women are seen as easier targets. It is a game of power disguised as piety. If consent and equality were truly important in Islam, why would such stories keep appearing? We need open dialogue, reform, and protection for every woman.

In the end, my deepest sympathy goes to the victims of Basti. Your courage in speaking up will inspire millions. If you are in a similar situation, contact the police, NGOs, or helpful people—you are not alone. People like Asraful deserve strict punishment, and the investigation should expose the entire network.

What do you think? Have you heard of such cases in your area? Tell me in the comments—let’s keep the conversation going.