Wajid Khan’s wife alleges in-laws forced her to convert to Islam

Wajid Khan's wife has written a long post on anti conversion law on her Instagram handle. She has mentioned the pain she suffered due to 'intercast marriage'. Kamalrukh has written in his note that she and Wajid used to study together in college. Both of them lasted 10 years of relationship before marriage.

She has made her public debut through Instagram, in which she has spoken about the harassment done by Wajid Khan's family after their interracial marriage. Kamalrukh has written a long post on Instagram and tells the story of the atrocities that happened to her.

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In his experience Kamalrukh wrote, 'I am a Parsi and he was a Muslim. We were what you would call "college sweethearts". Eventually we got married, we were married for love under the Special Marriage Act. This is why the debate on the anti-conversion bill is quite interesting to me. I would like to share my experiences in an inter-caste marriage that a woman faces hardship and discrimination in the name of religion, which is a complete shame ... and an eye-opener. '

Kamalrukh also alleged, 'My ordinary Parsi upbringing was very democratic. Freedom of thought was encouraged and open debate has been considered the norm. Education was encouraged at all levels. However, after marriage, this freedom, education and democratic value system was the biggest problem for my husband's family.

Kamalrukh also alleged, 'My ordinary Parsi upbringing was very democratic. Freedom of thought was encouraged and open debate has been considered the norm. Education was encouraged at all levels. However, after marriage, this freedom, education and democratic value system was the biggest problem for my husband's family.

Kamalrukh said a lot in his post. He has completed and posted his post in several slides on Instagram. Now this post of his is becoming quite viral and in the midst of the debate like love jihad, such posts come in more discussion. Let me tell you that Wajid Khan had died recently.  

Kamalrukh also alleged, 'My ordinary Parsi upbringing was very democratic. Freedom of thought was encouraged and open debate has been considered the norm. Education was encouraged at all levels. However, after marriage, this freedom, education and democratic value system was the biggest problem for my husband's family.

Kamalrukh said a lot in his post. He has completed and posted his post in several slides on Instagram. Now this post of his is becoming quite viral and in the midst of the debate like love jihad, such posts come in more discussion. 

Wajid died in May this year after a cardiac arrest. He had also tested positive for the coronavirus. Wajid was the part of the music-composer duo, Sajid-Wajid, with his brother Sajid Khan.

In her Instagram post here is what she said.

My name is Kamalrukh Khan, wife of the late music director Wajid Khan. My husband and I had a courtship spanning over 10 years before we finally got married.

I am Parsi and he was Muslim. We were what you would call “college sweethearts”. Eventually when we did get married, we married for love under the Special Marriages Act (an act that upholds the right to practice one’s own religion post marriage). And this is why this current debate surrounding the anti conversion bill is so interesting for me. I want to share my ordeal and my experience in an inter caste marriage - that in this day and age, a woman can face such prejudice, suffering and discrimination in the name of religion is a complete shame...and an eye opener.

My simple Parsi upbringing was very democratic in its value system. Independence of thought was encouraged and healthy debates were the norm. Education on all levels was encouraged. However, post marriage, this same independence, education and democratic value system was the biggest problem for my husband’s family. An educated, thinking, independent woman with an opinion was just not acceptable. And resisting the pressures of conversion was sacrilege. I have always respected, participated and celebrated all faiths. But my resistance to convert to Islam drastically widened the divide between me and my husband, making it toxic enough to destroy our relationship as husband and wife, and his ability to be a present father to our kids. My dignity and self respect did not permit me to bend backwards for him and his family, by converting to Islam.

Conversion was not a value system I believed in personally. It was also not the example of a deep set rotten patriarchy that I wanted to set for my beautifully evolved children- my 16 year old daughter Arshi and my 9 year old son Hrehaan.

I fought this terrible way of thinking tooth and nail throughout my marriage. The result- being outcast from my husband’s family, scare tactics to make me convert included taking me to court seeking divorce. I was devastated, felt betrayed and was emotionally drained, but my children and I held on.

Wajid was a super talented musician and composer who devoted his life to making melodies. My children and I miss him dearly and we wish he had dedicated more time to us as a family, devoid of religious prejudices, the way he did while creating his melodies. We never got to be a family due to his and his family’s religious fanaticism. Today post his untimely death, the harassment from his family continues.

I stand fighting for the rights and inheritance of my children which have been usurped by them. All this because of their hatred against me for not converting to Islam. Such deep rooted hatred that even death of a loved one could not move.

I truly wish this anti- conversion law is nationalised, reducing the struggle for women like me who are fighting the toxicity of religion in inter caste marriages. We are bad mouthed, and labelled as being manipulative and greedy for standing our ground. The real enemy in this conversion cycle commences right at the start - the hate campaign against “other religions”. To declare in public space that one’s own religion is “the only true religion” and that one’s own god/prophet is “the only true god/prophet” is obnoxious. Religion should be a cause for celebration of differences not separation of families.

This debate regarding the anti conversion bill should also delve deeper into the patriarchal mindset - it is mostly always the women who are made to forcibly convert. The conversion campaign has to be recognised for what it is - spreading hatred against different religious ideologies, separating wives from husbands and children from their fathers.

All religions are the path to the divine. Live and let live should be the only religion we all practice.

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