Ayelet Harel, PhD

As a previous research fellow at the I-Core Center for the Study of Conversion and Inter-Religious Encounters, I study the legal aspects of conversion in modern India. In many Western countries, the official character of the state is constitutionally no longer defined in religious terms. In such secular countries, the state ensures freedom of religion for its citizens and does not intervene in individuals’ beliefs. Nonetheless, religious conversion may present a challenge to the secular nature of the state. While in Asia, most states promote obstacles to religious conversion, India followed Western norms and constitutionally declared its secular and democratic characters. At the same time, in India there is an ongoing discomfort with religious conversion, particularly, conversion to non-Indic religions, namely, Christianity and Islam. The unique socio-political reality of India, comprising a caste system, a history of recurring conquests, forced conversion and delicate inter-religious relations between Hindus and Muslims, affects interactions and policy making in this predominantly Hindu state. My research analyzes alterations in India’s policy directives with regard to religious conversion. More specifically, the research examines power struggles and policy directives toward religious conversion from the time of Indian independence until the present by mapping direct and indirect legislation and jurisdiction in India that has affected religious conversion. An article in this matter is currently under review (with Noa Levy).