Unravelling a Hindu Woman’s Desire for a Muslim Man: Exploring Identity in Inter-faith Intimacy

Erikson and Kakar’s work on identity development has illuminated the interconnectedness of individuals and communities. This study examines the relationship between prohibited desire and identity in inter-faith intimacy, using Erikson’s negative identity paradigm. Society often rejects mixed identities resulting from inter-faith relationships. The paper examines Kakar’s impact on group identification and considers Erikson’s concept of negative identity. Through Karuna, a young Hindu introduced to Islam by her family, her intimate relationships with a young Muslim man are explored. India is huge and diverse, and Hindus and Muslims have lived together for generations. Unfortunately, Hindu-Muslim unions are illegal now. The politicisation of Hindu-Muslim love as Love-Jihad perpetuates the myth that Muslim men actively pursue Hindu women. This paper looks at a Hindu-Muslim relationship through the eyes of Karuna, who was introduced to Islam by her family. As Karuna grew older, her love for radical Islam resulted in her choosing Muslim men as her love objects and eventually being disowned by her family. Using Erikson's conceptualisation of the negative identity, which focuses on what happens when you identify with everything that is forbidden by your community, we focus on understanding Karuna’s desirous self.