essay on love jihad upsc

Unveiling the Sociological Dimensions of "Love Jihad"

04 Nov 2023

Pranay aggarwal.

Why in News? Recently, a movie titled The Kerala Story alleged large-scale religious conversions of Hindu women by Muslim men in Kerala. The movie generated controversy and was banned in some states.

The term "Love Jihad" has gained significant attention in recent years, particularly in India. It refers to a controversial concept that alleges a systematic campaign where Muslim men are accused of luring Hindu women into relationships for the purpose of religious conversion. This article aims to analyze the sociological dimensions of "Love Jihad," exploring its origins, social implications, and the viewpoints of Indian and Western sociologists. By delving into relevant sociological theories, concepts, and empirical evidence, we can gain a deeper understanding of this complex and contentious issue.

Origins and Context:

The term "Love Jihad" gained traction in the early 2000s, primarily through online platforms and social media. However, it is important to note that it lacks a clear and concrete definition. The concept has been subject to widespread debate, with varying interpretations and perceptions. Proponents of the "Love Jihad" narrative argue that it is a genuine social phenomenon that threatens religious and cultural boundaries, while critics contend that it is a myth perpetuated to fuel communal tensions.

Sociological Perspectives:

Understanding "Love Jihad" requires a sociological lens that analyzes its social, cultural, and political dimensions. Weber's concept of social action highlights the individual motivations and intentions behind human behavior, including choices made in romantic relationships. The theory of intersectionality emphasizes the interplay between gender, religion, and caste, acknowledging the complex layers that influence individuals' lived experiences.

Indian Sociological Viewpoints:

Indian sociologists have offered diverse perspectives on "Love Jihad." Imtiaz Ahmed, a renowned sociologist, critically examines the term and argues that it is rooted in Hindu nationalist rhetoric rather than empirical evidence. He highlights how such narratives perpetuate a sense of threat and victimhood among certain communities, contributing to social polarization. Similarly, Rowena Robinson's work on religion, identity, and gender provides insights into the complex dynamics at play in interfaith relationships, emphasizing the need to move beyond simplistic narratives.

Western Sociological Perspectives:

Western sociologists have also engaged with the concept of "Love Jihad" from their respective perspectives. Roger Ballard explores the social construction of religious identity and how it intersects with issues of multiculturalism and assimilation. His work prompts us to critically analyze the assumptions and implications underlying the "Love Jihad" narrative. Nilufer Bharucha examines the impact of gender, religion, and politics on interfaith marriages, highlighting the need to understand such relationships within broader societal contexts.

Socio-political Implications:

The discourse around "Love Jihad" has significant socio-political implications. It intersects with debates on religious freedom , cultural preservation , and gender equality. Critics argue that the narrative perpetuates Islamophobia and reinforces stereotypes about Muslim men. Moreover, it can lead to increased social tensions , communal violence, and the stigmatization of interfaith relationships. It is crucial to navigate these discussions with sensitivity, recognizing the diversity and complexity of human relationships

Critiques and Challenges:

The concept of "Love Jihad" has faced criticism on various grounds. Scholars argue that it perpetuates a conspiracy theory without substantial evidence, often relying on anecdotal accounts and sensationalized media coverage . Moreover, it overlooks the agency and autonomy of women involved in interfaith relationships, reducing them to passive victims. These critiques highlight the importance of examining the broader socio-political context in which such narratives emerge.

Conclusion:

The concept of "Love Jihad" has sparked heated debates and polarized opinions. By analyzing it through a sociological lens, incorporating the perspectives of Indian and Western sociologists, and utilizing relevant sociological theories and concepts, we can critically evaluate its social implications. It is crucial to foster dialogue that promotes understanding, empathy, and respect for diverse relationships, recognizing the agency and choices of individuals involved. Addressing issues of gender, religious freedom, and communal harmony should be at the forefront of discussions surrounding "Love Jihad," ensuring a more inclusive and harmonious society.

04 Nov 2023 || Pranay Aggarwal

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Interfaith marriages: Controversy surrounding “Love Jihad”

• December 10, 2020

UPSC Articles

SOCIETY/ GOVERNANCE

Topic: General Studies 1, 2: Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism  Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context : With Uttar Pradesh leading the way, a set of states now plan to pass laws to end what they call “love  jihad ”.

What is “Love Jihad”?

• Love Jihad, also called Romeo Jihad, is an alleged activity under which young Muslim boys and men are said to reportedly target young girls belonging to non-Muslim communities for conversion to Islam by feigning love.
• There is no legal sanction to political terms such as ‘love jihad’.
• Even though individual reports have spread, all official investigations in India launched in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 have found no evidence of the activity

About The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Law, 2020 

• Immediate Context : The immediate context for such a law is a recent Allahabad High Court judgment which in a recent ruling declared that the conversion for the sole purpose of marriage as “null and void”.
• Prohibition on forceful or fraudulent Conversion: The proposed law says that those found guilty of conversion done though “misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means” in contravention of the law would face jail term of one to 5 years, and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000.
• Marriage for the sole purpose of unlawful conversion: The law also says that a marriage will be declared “shunya” (null and void) if the “sole intention” of the same is to “change a girl’s religion”.
• Cognizable and non-bailable offences:  Notwithstanding anything mentioned in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; all the offences under this law shall be cognizable and non-bailable and triable by the Court of Sessions. 
• Approval for Conversions : Anyone wanting to convert into another religion would have to give it in writing to the District Magistrate at least two months in advance. Upon receiving the information, the said officer will conduct an enquiry to real intention, purpose and cause of the proposed religious conversion. If the proposed conversion contradicts the provisions of this law, it would be illegal and void
• Burden of Proof : It would be the responsibility of the one going for the religious conversion to prove that it is not taking place forcefully or with any fraudulent means. In case, any violation is found under this provision, then one faces a jail term from 6 months to 3 years and fine of minimum Rs 10,000.

What are the criticism of UP Law

• Interference with Personal Liberty:   The law plans to outlaw religious conversion which may take place for marriage purposes. This interferes with personal liberty.
• Curtails Freedom of Religion : Based on Articles 25 to 28, an Indian citizen is guaranteed the freedom to practise any religion of his or her choice. The above UP law curtails this freedom. The State wants to intervene not only in the citizens’ private relationship with God, but also in the choice of their spouse.
• Against Article 21 (Right to Life): The right to marry a person of one’s choice is integral to Article 21 of the Constitution. Intimacies of marriage lie within a core zone of privacy, which is inviolable and the choice of a life partner, whether by marriage or outside it, is part of an individual’s ‘personhood and identity’.
• Against Right to Privacy: In SC’s K.S. Puttaswamy v UOI (2017) judgment, it read the “right of choice of a family life” as a fundamental right. The regressive law limits the choice of a prospective spouse such that this spouse would only be one approved by the State.
• Laws exist to deal with Inter-Faith Marriages: The domain of matrimony is occupied by separate laws governing weddings that take place under religious traditions, and the Special Marriage Act that enables a secular marriage.

India is a ‘free and democratic country’ and any interference by the State in an adult’s right to love and marry has a ‘chilling effect’ on freedoms

Connecting the dots:

• Special Marriages Act: Click Here
• Minimum  age of marriage for women

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LOVE JIHAD FROM PROPAGANDA TO POLICY

Relevance: Mains: G.S Paper I: Social Issues & Sociology: Paper I & II Religion and Society: Challenges of Social Transformation: Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.

‘Love Jihad’ started as a joke, but now not only are states competing with each other to bring in draconian laws, it was a pivotal issue in recent elections

Why in news?

Moving the Amendment Bill to the Freedom of Religion Act 2003 in the Gujarat Assembly recently, state home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said, “There is international finance being channelised to lure Hindu girls into marriage and then conversion.” In the debate that followed, one Congress legislator tore the copy of the Bill and another accused the government of playing communal politics. None asked the minister to furnish evidence of “international finance” being pumped into the state to trick gullible Hindu girls. Or what steps the government was taking to curb the flow of FDI into Project “Love Jihad.

Detailed Analysis

• The biggest evidence of “love jihad” in the hands of these propagandists is: More Muslim men marry Hindu women in comparison to Muslim women marrying outside their religion.
• In India, marriages are traditionally fixed by family members and rarely go beyond predetermined boundaries of religion, caste and perceived socio-economic compatibility.
• Those who choose their own partners are rebels who disrupt this order.

Two factors are needed for this rebellion:

• One, motivation, which implies meeting someone who inspires one to break free; and
• two, courage, which comes from the confidence that one would be able to succeed in one’s rebellion.

In its 2005 report, the Justice Sachar Committee

• Observed that Muslim women are the first to disappear from formal education and the last to join the organised workforce.
• This peripheral existence renders them at the mercy of the men in their families.

This lack of agency over their lives is compounded by two factors:

• Insecurity that has been part of a Muslim’s mental make-up post-Independence, given the history of communal violence and targeted sexual violence against Muslim women; and
• the belief that a family’s honour resides in the body of its women. Hence, women must be sheltered/ veiled as far as possible.

Where are the public spaces where Muslim women are likely to meet non-Muslim men long enough for them to fall in love?

• Muslim women who do manage to pursue higher education mostly do so in all-women, often Muslim-run, institutions.

As far as employment is concerned, except for mass media, how many Muslim men do you find in the organised sector, forget women?

• Not only do average non-Muslim men have little access to Muslim women, even Muslim men are not able to socially interact with many Muslim women outside the family.

None of this is a state secret. Yet, an average citizen shows surprising gullibility in accepting that this socio-economic phenomenon is linked with Islamic terrorism or Islamic takeover of India.

One distraught father in Kerala (2017-2018) got the high court to intervene in the marriage of his adult daughter on the plea that her husband intended to supply her to ISIS as a sex slave.

  What has brought about this naivete at different levels of the society?

• The answer is unchallenged propaganda of Islamic terrorism being a threat to India.
• Hence, anything that gets linked with it, is immediately accepted as truth.

How exactly did the prime minister reach the conclusion that Muslims “do not live in co-existence with others”?

In which part of India have Muslims been “spreading their faith by resorting to terror and threats”?

Shouldn’t all of this be a matter of record?

• There was no factual basis to these observations. They were the product of propaganda that the Hindu right-wing has been spreading since the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Through constant repetition, this falsehood has assumed the status of an unchallenged truth.
• Unfortunately, Muslims have been complicit in sustaining this propaganda.
• Instead of being defensive, they should be challenging it at every turn. Of course, some Muslims have carried out acts of terrorism against civilians.
• They must be condemned unequivocally. But a lot of terrorist violence in India has a political context — as, for instance, in Kashmir. Political violence has to be distinguished from mindless violence in the name of religion.
• The truth is India faces no threat of Islamic terrorism. “Love jihad” is not a cover for a global conspiracy.
• These are propaganda tools to create a state of permanent distrust and friction.
• But this mainstreaming of anti-Muslim sentiment for political purposes comes at a huge cost. A society constantly fighting imaginary demons within cannot go far.

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We need Law not policies on Inter faith marriage to escape. forcible conversions.

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Tag: What is “Love Jihad”? critically analyse the issues associated with the law against love jihad.

What is “love jihad” critically analyse the issues associated with the law against love jihad..

Tags: What is “Love Jihad”? critically analyse the issues associated with the law against love jihad.

Topic : GS-1: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India. GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. 1. What is “Love Jihad”? critically analyse the issues associated with the law against love jihad. (250 words) Reference: The Print Why the question: The …

Continue reading “What is “Love Jihad”? critically analyse the issues associated with the law against love jihad.”

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ISSUE OF INTERFAITH MARRIAGES AND LAWS IN INDIA

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The article is based on The Big Picture: Special Marriage Act and Indian Express Explained , Roll it back appeared in the month of November. 

Context: The Uttar Pradesh government has cleared an ordinance that enables the state to police and punish inter-faith marriages with “the sole intention of changing a girl’s religion”.

Why Uttar Pradesh drafted such an ordinance?

• In the past few months, cases of alleged “love jihad” have been reported from different parts of the state, especially eastern and central UP especially Lakhimpurkheri.
• a group of parents from a particular locality in Kanpur had complained that their daughters are being allegedly trapped by Muslim men
• In some cases, girls refused to accept that they were tempted into marriage.

Criticisms against the law

Many critics of the law have put forward a few issues regarding the law:

• Allowing the police to examine subjective “intentions” of men and women entering a marriage veers into thought control — and sets the law up for rampant abuse.
• Law against fundamental rights:  By clearing the ordinance, the state government has trespassed the fundamental right to marry guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.  

  Anti-conversion law at central level:

Central government proposed various bills but none of them passed and became a law. They are:

• Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill 1954
• Backward Communities (Religious Protection) Bill 1960
• Freedom of Religion Bill in 1979

In 2015, the Law Ministry said passing of any law on religious conversion is purely a “State subject” and Central government has no role in it.

Is Uttar Pradesh being the only state to initiate law for forceful conversion?

• No, after the central government failed to pass 1960 bill, Odisha government moved on and passed the first anti-conversion law in 1968
• After that so far 10 states have had passed anti-conversion laws in India .
• The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019 , and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018 , both prohibit conversion by misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, inducement, allurement and ‘by marriage’.

But Uttar Pradesh has become one of the first State to pass forcible conversion only during Interfaith marriages as special legislation . States such as Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka have also sought to bring such legislation.

Interfaith Marriages:

• It simply means the matrimonial relation between individuals who follow different religious faiths.
• Marriage between the same faiths has been governed by the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, Muslim personal Law. But to rectify and include interfaith marriages Centre passed the Special Marriage Act 1954.
• Special Marriage Act considers Interfaith Marriages as secular.

  Judicial pronouncement regarding interfaith marriages and forcible conversions:

• The Rev Stanislaus vs Madhya Pradesh case: Supreme Court said Article 25 does provide freedom of religion in matters related to practice, profess and propagate, but the word propagate does not give the right to convert and upheld the laws prohibiting Conversion through force, fraud, or allurement .
• Based on the above case it is clear that forcible conversion or conversion through fraud and allurement is against the Right to Freedom of Religion.
• Sarla Mudgal case : The court had held that the religious conversion into Islam by a person from non-Islamic faith is not valid if the conversion is done for the purpose of polygamy.
• Lily Thomas case: In this case Court observed that marrying another woman after converting to Islam is punishable under the bigamy laws.
• Hadiya Case : Supreme Court said that the right to marry a person of one’s choice is integral to Article 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution
• Allahabad High Court, in the case, Noor Jahan Begum @ Anjali Mishra and another vs. State of U.P. and Others observed that one shouldn’t change one’s faith just for the sake of matrimony. As two persons professing different religions can marry under the Special Marriage Act.
• But in the most recent judgment, Allahabad High Court itself overturned its previous judgment, calling the decision “bad in law”. The division bench of the Allahabad high court said on November 11, that judgment does not take into account the right to life and personal liberty of mature adults .

Way forward:

Based on the judicial pronouncements it is clear that the Right to marry a person belongs to another faith is a Fundamental Right but that does not have to be associated only with personal laws or religious conversions. It is the Right of the individual’s personal liberty to involve in Interfaith Marriage either by the Special Marriage Act of 1954 or by Personal laws (after getting himself converted).

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Demographic Paranoia Dictates Love Jihad Laws

Context : The passage of laws to prevent ‘love jihad ‘in some states (Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh) not only invade individual constitutional rights and privacy but also reinforce patriarchy and the paranoia of demographic change.

Various Legislative Processes Dictated by Underlying Fears of Demographic Change 

• These laws were based on Islamophobia and took advantage of the religious polarisation to declare inter- faith marriages illegal.
• The laws were called out for promoting patriarchy and invading privacy as it exposed the potential couple to harassment.
• The law allowed local registrars to publicly post-marriage applications for 14 days to determine whether there are any objections to the unions.
• In 2004, the J&K Legislative Assembly passed a Bill to deprive women married outside the erstwhile state of retaining the Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC).
• Before August 5, 2019 (abrogation of Article 370), only those with PRC could buy property, get employment in the state, vote in the Legislative Assembly and were entitled to other privileges.
• The bill was meant to give legislative form to the executive order, which was earlier struck down by the J&K High Court on the grounds of gender inequality. (as it disincentivises women from marrying outside).

Conclusion : While The Special Marriage Act 1954 is in conformity with liberal ethos, recent state laws to prevent ‘love jihad’ are generally dictated by underlying fears of demographic change and patriarchal mindset.

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Implications of UP’s ‘love jihad’ ordinance for freedom of conscience

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Not much

Mains level: Paper 2- Freedom of conscience and conversion to other religion

The U.P. government’s ordinance seeking the prevention of illegal conversion has several provisions that go against the Constitution and restricts the freedom of conscience. 

Objective of the ordinance

• The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 seeks to prevent “love jihad” in the state
• The ordinance makes it a criminal offence for a person to convert another by coercion, misrepresentation, fraud etc, which is unobjectionable.
• A marriage solemnised for the “sole purpose” of unlawfully converting the bride or the groom is required to be declared void by the competent court.
• There can be no objection to ordinance’s premise that converting somebody by fraud or misrepresentation is wrong.
• In fact, though the members of the Constituent Assembly included the right to “propagate” one’s religion they considered it a “rather obvious doctrine” that this would not include forcible conversions.
• However, the UP ordinance goes beyond this principle and does something quite strange.

Unconstitutional provisions and issues with the ordinance

1) lack of clarity.

• The ordinance makes it a criminal offence to convert a person by offering her an “allurement”.
• The term “allurement” is defined very broadly, to include even providing a gift to the person who is sought to be converted.
• The use of the words “or otherwise” in the definition of allurement is puzzling.
• The essential prerequisite of a criminal law is that it has to be precise.
• A person cannot be put behind bars for doing something that a penal law does not clearly and unequivocally prohibit.
• On this touchstone, the definition of “allurement” leaves much to be desired.

2) Reconversion to a person’s previous religion is not illegal

• It says that “reconversion” to a person’s previous religion is not illegal, even if it is vitiated by fraud, force, allurement, misrepresentation and so on.
• In other words, if a person converts from Religion A to Religion B of her own volition, and is then forced to reconvert back to Religion A against her will , this will not constitute “conversion” under the ordinance at all.

3) Unfairly treating all women in the same way

• Illegal conversion under the ordinance attracts a punishment of 1-5 years in prison.
• However, if the victim of the illegal conversion is a minor, a member of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or, strangely, a woman , the punishment is doubled — at 2-10 years behind bars.
• In other words, it does not matter who the woman is, if somebody converts her against her will, the punishment can go up to 10 years in prison.
• The ordinance unfairly paints all women with the same brush — assuming that all women are gullible, vulnerable and especially susceptible to illegal conversion.

4) Buden of proof

• The burden of proof in criminal cases is on the prosecution, and the presumption is that a person accused of committing an offence is innocent until proven guilty.
• The Uttar Pradesh ordinance turns this rule on its head.
• Every religious conversion is presumed to be illegal.
• The burden is on the person carrying out the conversion to prove that it is not illegal.
• The offence of illegal conversion is also “cognisable” and “non-bailable”, meaning that a police officer can arrest an accused without a warrant, and the accused may or may not be released on bail, at the discretion of the court.

Time to revisit the past judgement

• In Rev Stainislaus v State of Madhya Pradesh (1977), the Supreme Court held that the fundamental right to “propagate” religion does not include the right to convert a person to another religion.
• In that case, the court had upheld anti-conversion statutes enacted by the states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

The ordinance puts an incredible chilling effect on the freedom of conscience and state must reconsider it.

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Kerala love jihad case: All that has happened so far

Hadiya had married jahan on december 19 last year. her father, however approached the court alleging forceful conversion and that the marriage was an attempt to make her a part of the islamic state. while kerala high court has annulled the marriage, jahan approached the supreme court challenging the hc verdict..

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the National Investigative Agency to probe into the case of annulment of marriage between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman (who had converted into Islam) by the Kerala High Court who described the case as ‘love jihad.’

The apex court has also ordered that the probe will be carried under the supervision of the retired apex court Judge R V Raveendran. The bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said it will take a view after considering the NIA’s probe report, inputs from the Kerala Police and after talking to the woman involved in the case.

The bench’s order came after Kerala-based 27 years old Muslim man Shafin Jahan challenged the annulment of his marriage to Akhila alias Hadiya by the Kerala High Court on May 24.

Here is what has happened till now in the case

24-years-old Hadiya, who was staying with her friends in Malappuram, married Jahan on December 19 last year. Both were introduced to each other through a Muslim matrimonial website in August 2016. Two days after their wedding, Hadiya was asked to appear before the court in a habeas corpus petition filed by her parents. Her parents approached the High Court alleging forceful conversion.

Hadiya, however, while appearing in the court said that she had converted to Islam on her own. Her father, K M Ashokan, an ex-serviceman, however alleged that there was a “well-oiled systematic mechanism” for conversion and and that the marriage was an attempt to make her a part of the Islamic state. The marriage happened while the petition was pending in the court.

Following this, Kerala High Court then sent her to a hostel in Kochi. The court proceedings continued normally but Hadiya was not allowed to meet anyone. Jahan, who had been working in Muscat had to quit his job to take part in the proceedings. “My company told me to return to the Gulf only after settling the matter,” he said. Read: As man fights ‘Islamic State’ taint for wife, police at her door, in her room. Click here

Meanwhile, the high court had directed the police to probe the matter. During the investigation, the police found no evidence that could link Jahan with any criminal activity. The report however, mentioned that Jahan had been the admin of a WhatsApp group called ‘SPDI Keralam’. He was also in another group called ‘Thanal.’ Mansy Buraqui, who was arrested in connection with the Islamic state module, was also a member of the two mentioned groups. In his defence, Jahan said that Buraqui was removed from the groups soon after his support for the Islamic State was revealed. He also said that he had no other connection with Buraqui except being connected with him on the groups.

After this, the Kerala High Court in its judgement while declaring the marriage void said, “Marriage being the most important decision in her (Akhila)’s life can only be taken with the active involvement of her parents…The marriage, which is alleged to have taken place, is a sham and is of no consequence in the eye of law. Her husband has no authority to act as the guardian.” Read: For The record: ‘It is absolutely unsafe to let (24-year-old) be free to do as she likes’. Click here

The court then granted Hadiya’s custody to the father and also directed the Kottayam district police superintendent to provide them protection. Reports suggest that Hadiya was not happy with the decision. “I am a 25-year-old Indian citizen. Why the court put me under house arrest for the last five months? Why the court denied me the right to live as per my faith and likes?’’ she asked in a letter released to the media in May.

Jahan, in the meantime, decided to challenge the judgement and approached the Supreme Court. The apex court then directed the state police to share its investigation reports with the National Investigation Agency. The NIA’s involvement is necessary to ascertain if this is really an isolated case or is there something more… something wider…,” the bench said. Jahan, was reportedly unhappy with the involvement of NIA, saying that it amounted to distrusting the police. The Supreme Court, however, rejected his claims and said that the “purpose of issuing notice to NIA on the first day itself was for neutral and unbiased assistance”.

Jahan, meanwhile, has not been able to connect with Hadiya. “I had sent a letter to her, but her father returned it with the acknowledgement ‘rejected by the guardian’. Once I went to TV Puram to visit her, but police did not allow me to enter the house.” Jahan also added that as an Hadiya who is an adult has every right to practice a religion of her choice. “By confining her within the house, her family is now attempting a forced conversion. That is why Hadiya is not allowed to speak. She is still my wife,” he said while speaking to The Indian Express .

A police officer in Kottayam rejected calling it house arrest and said, “We have intelligence reports that the woman and her parents face serious threat from Islamic fundamentalists. We have advised the family not to let the woman outside as it may endanger her life.”

Hadiya’s father, meanwhile said he will talk only after the Supreme Court delivers its verdict. In a breaking voice, he said, “I am fighting for the custody of my only daughter. I won’t allow anyone to meet her.”

• Kerala High Court
• National Investigation Agency (NIA)
• supreme court

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UPSC Essay Topic wise Question Papers of last 31 years (1993-2023) for Civil Services IAS/IPS Exam Free Download

In the UPSC mains examination, essay paper is worth 250 marks and three hours. Here is the topic wise questions from the earlier years for the benefit of civil service IAS IPS aspirants.

1.1 India Since Independence

1.2 federalism, decentralization, 1.3 administration, 1.4 judiciary, 1.5 poverty, social justice, 1.6 indian society, culture and values, 1.7 media, tv & cinema, literature, 2.1 growth vs development, 2.2 environment vs development, 2.4 sectors of economy, 3.1 values in education, 3.2 scheme implementation, 3.3 higher education, 4.1 character, honesty, ethics, 4.2 knowledge, 4.3 compassion, 4.4 truth and reality, 4.5 youth, discipline, 4.6 towards excellence, 5.1 @national politics, 5.2 @world / quote type, 5.3 empowerment overall, 5.4 compared to men, 6.1 globalization, 6.2 international org./ bilateral, 6.3 security, 6.4 history, 7.1 science and religion, 7.2 science and education, 7.3 computer and internet, 7.4 sci-tech: others, appendix: linear paper of upsc essay 2023, appendix: linear paper of upsc essay 2022, appendix: model answer pe free lecture & powerpoint, appendix: syllabus of essay paper in upsc, 1 india: democracy, administration, society, culture.

• Is the Colonial mentality hindering India’s Success? -2013
• In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy -2012
• Dreams which should not let India sleep. -2015
• Why should we be proud of being Indians? -2000
• Whither Indian democracy? -1995
• How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? -2003
• What we have not learnt during fifty years of independence. -1997
• What have we gained from our democratic set-up? -2001
• My vision of India in 2001 a.d. -1993
• Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. -2017
• Water disputes between States in federal India. -2016
• Cooperative federalism : Myth or reality. -2016
• Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication -2011
• Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. -2007
• Water resources should be under the control of the central government. -2004
• The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. -1998
• There are better practices to “best practices”. -2021
• How should a civil servant conduct himself? -2003
• Politics without ethics is a disaster. -1995
• The VIP cult is a bane of Indian democracy -1996
• Need for transparency in public administration -1996
• The country’s need for a better disaster management system. -2000
• Politics, bureaucracy and business – fatal triangle. -1994
• We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. -2017
• Justice must reach the poor -2005
• Judicial activism and Indian democracy. -2004
• Judicial activism. -1997
• A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity. (- जिस समाज में अधिक न्याय होता है उस समाज को दान की कम आवश्यकता होती है।) – 2023
• There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless (बिना आर्थिक समृद्धि के सामाजिक न्याय नहीं हो सकता, किन्तु बिना सामाजिक न्याय के आर्थिक समृद्धि निरर्थक है ) -2020
• Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness. -2019
• The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. -2009
• Food security for sustainable national development -2005
• Reservation, politics and empowerment. -1999
• Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have (जो हम है, वह संस्कार; जो हमारे पास है, वह सभ्यता ) -2020
• Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? -2000
• Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. -2000
• The composite culture of India. -1998
• The Indian society at the crossroads. -1994
• From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? -2010
• New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion -1996
• Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy. -2019
• Responsibility of media in a democracy. -2002
• Role of media in good governance -2008
• Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it? -2011
• How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets? -2007
• Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? -2014
• Mass media and cultural invasion. -1999
• The misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India. -1998
• Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world (कवि संसार के अनधिकृत रूप से विधायक होते हैं) – 2022

2 Economy, Development

• Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. -2018
• Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. -2016
• Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. -2016
• Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. -2016
• Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. -2015
• Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? -2014
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country-2013
• Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? -2015
• Resource management in the Indian context. -1999
• Economic growth without distributive justice is bound to breed violence. -1993
• Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence (आर्थिक समृद्धि हासिल करने के मामले में वन सर्वोत्तम प्रतिमान होते हैं।) – 2022
• Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India. -2018
• Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? -2010
• Urbanisation and its hazards -2008
• Protection of ecology and environment is essential for sustained economic development. -2006
• Urbanization is a blessing in disguise. -1997
• Ecological considerations need not hamper development. -1993
• Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. -2006
• Multinational corporations – saviours or saboteurs -1994
• Special economic zone: boon or bane -2008
• Is the criticism that the ‘Public-Private-Partnership’ (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified ?-2012
• Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India. -2017
• BPO boom in India. -2007
• Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? -2014
• Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? -2009

3 Education

• Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in – school. (- शिक्षा वह है जो विद्यालय में विधालय में सीखी गई बातों को भूल जाने के बाद भी शेष रह जाती है।)
• Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. -2017
• Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil-2015
• Independent thinking should be encouraged right form the childhood. -2007
• Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? -2014
• Irrelevance of the classroom. -2001
• Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? -2014
• Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education. -1996
• Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses ? -2008
• What is real education? -2005
• “Education for all” campaign in India: myth or reality. -2006
• Restructuring of Indian education system. -1995
• Privatization of higher education in India. -2002
• Credit – based higher education system – status, opportunities and challenges -2011

4 Quote based, Philosophy, Ethics

• A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities (हर असमंजस के लिए मुस्कराहट ही चुनिन्दा साधन है) – 2022
• Philosophy of wantlessness is a Utopian, while materialism is a chimera. -2021
• Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me. -2021
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (सरलता चरम परिष्करण है ) -2020
• Ships don’t sink because of water around them ships sink because of water that gets into them (जहाज अपने चारों तरफ के पानी के वजह से नहीं डूबा करते, जहाज पानी के अंदर समां जाने की वजह से डूबता हैं ) -2020
• Life is a long journey between being human and being humane.  (मनुष्य होने और मानव बनने के बीच का लम्बा सफर ही जीवन है)-2020
• Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be -2019
• Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society -2019
• Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success -2019
• Wisdom finds truth -2019
• A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both. -2018
• Customary morality cannot be a guide to modem file. -2018
• Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. -2016
• Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. -2015
• With greater power comes greater responsibility. -2014
• Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. -2014
• Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man. -2007
• He would reigns within himself and folds his passions and desires and fears is more than a king. -1993
• Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team. (- सोच एक खेल की तरह है, यह तब तक शुरू नहीं होता है जब तक कि एक विपरीत टीम/पक्ष न हो।) – 2023
• Mathematics is the music of reason. (- गणित ज्ञान का संगीत है।) – 2023
• The real is rational and the rational is real. -2021
• Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self (विचारपरक संकल्प स्वयं के शांतचित्त रहने का उत्प्रेरक है )-2020
• ‘The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values. -2018
• A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. -2018
• There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. -2003
• Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation. -1995
• Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. -2017
• Compassion is the basic of all morality of the world -1993
• Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. -2015
• Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)-2013
• Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right (केवल इसलिए कि आपके पास विकल्प हैं, इसका यह अर्थ कदापि नहीं है कि उनमें से किसी को भी ठीक होना ही होगा) – 2022
• Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it. -2018
• Truth is lived, not taught -1996
• When money speaks, the truth is silent. -1995
• Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. -2002
• The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining (छप्पर मरम्मत करने का समय तभी होता है, जब धूप खिली हुई हो) – 2022
• You cannot step twice in the same river (आप उसी नदी में दोबारा नहीं उतर सकते) – 2022
• Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin -2008
• Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret -1994
• If youth knew, if age could. -2002
• Youth culture today. -1999
• Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? -2014
• Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. (- दूरदर्शी निर्णय तभी लिए जाते है अंतर्ज्ञान और तर्क का परस्पर मेल होता है।) – 2023
• Not all who wander are lost. (- भटकने वाले सभी गुम नहीं हो जाते।) – 2023
• Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane (- रचनात्मकता की प्रेरणा अलौकिक ता में चमत्कार ढूंढने के प्रयास से उपजति है) – 2023
• A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for (जहाज बन्दरगाह के भीतर सुरक्षित होता है, परन्तु इसके लिए तो वह होता नहीं है) – 2022
• Quick but steady wins the race. -2015
• Useless life is an early death. -1994
• Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. -1995
• The paths of glory lead but to the grave. -2002
• The pursuit of excellence. -2001

5 Women empowerment

• Greater political power alone will not improve women’s plight. -1997
• Women’s reservation bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. -2006
• The new emerging women power: the ground realities. -1995
• Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. -2021
• If women ruled the world -2005
• The hand that rocks the cradle -2005
• Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality (पितृ-सत्ता की व्यवस्था नजर मैं बहुत काम आने के बावजूद सामाजिक विषमता की सबसे प्रभावी संरचना है) -2020
• Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. -2017
• If development is not engendered, it is endangered. -2016
• Whither women’s emancipation? -2004
• Empowerment alone cannot help our women. -2001
• Women empowerment: challenges and prospects. -1999
• Woman is god’s best creation. -1998
• Men have failed: let women take over. -1993
• Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal ?-2012

6 International issues, Internal Security, History

• South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities. -2019
• Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts. -1994
• ‘globalization’ vs. ‘nationalism’ -2009
• National identity and patriotism -2008
• Globalizations and its impact on Indian culture. -2004
• The masks of new imperialism. -2003
• As civilization advances culture declines. -2003
• The implications of globalization for India. -2000
• My vision of an ideal world order. -2001
• India’s contribution to world wisdom. -1998
• The world of the twenty-first century. -1998
• Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. -2010
• Technology as the silent factor in international relations (अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संबंधों मैं मौन करक के रूप मैं प्रौद्योगिकी) -2020
• Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world ? -2017
• Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities -1996
• The global order: political and economic -1993
• India’s role in promoting ASEAN co-operation. -2004
• Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement -2006
• Management of Indian border dispute is a complex task. -2018
• In the Indian context , both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism -2011
• Are we a ‘soft’ state ? -2009
• Good fences make good neighbours -2009
• Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? -2007
• Terrorism and world peace -2005
• True religion cannot be misused. -1997
• History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. -2021
• Geography may remain the same ; history need not. -2010

7 Science-Technology

• Spirituality and scientific temper. -2003
• Science and Mysticism : Are they compatible ?-2012
• What is research, but a blind date with knowledge! -2021
• Modern technological education and human values. -2002
• Value-based science and education. -1999
• The march of science and the erosion of human values. -2001
• The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced. -2021
• Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling. -2019
• ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium. -2017
• Cyberspace and Internet : Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run -2016
• Increasing computerization would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. -2006
• The cyberworld: its charms and challenges. -2000
• Computer: the harbinger of silent revolution. -1993
• Technology cannot replace manpower. -2015
• Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation-2013
• The modern doctor and his patients. -1997
• The lure of space. -2004

Section-A (write any one)

• Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team. (- सोच एक खेल की तरह है, यह तब तक शुरू नहीं होता है जब तक कि एक विपरीत टीम/पक्ष न हो।)
• Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. (- दूरदर्शी निर्णय तभी लिए जाते है अंतर्ज्ञान और तर्क का परस्पर मेल होता है।)
• Not all who wander are lost. (- भटकने वाले सभी गुम नहीं हो जाते।)
• Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane (- रचनात्मकता की प्रेरणा अलौकिक ता में चमत्कार ढूंढने के प्रयास से उपजति है)

Section-B (write any one)

• Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines. (-लड़कियां बंदिशों के तथा लड़के अपेक्षा के बोझ तले दबे हुए होते हैं दोनों ही समान रूप से हानिकारक व्यवस्थाएं हैं।)
• Mathematics is the music of reason. (- गणित ज्ञान का संगीत है।)
• A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity. (- जिस समाज में अधिक न्याय होता है उस समाज को दान की कम आवश्यकता होती है।)

Answer one-one essay from each section in 1000-1200 words

• History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man (इतिहास वैज्ञानिक मनुष्य के रूमानी मनुष्य पर विजय हासिल करने का एक सिलसिला है।) – 2022
• A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for (जहाज बन्दरगाह के भीतर सुरक्षित होता है, परन्तु इसके लिए तो वह होता नहीं है) & 2022
• Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right (केवल इसलिए कि आपके पास विकल्प हैं, इसका यह अर्थ कदापि नहीं है कि उनमें से किसी को भी ठीक होना ही होगा) – 2022

Essay: Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.

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Wednesday, 22 May 2024

Agenda - The Sunday magazine

• Cover Story

Outrage over superstar Mammootty’s alleged Jihadi ties

The controversy has ignited a fierce political debate and exposed deep-seated tensions within Kerala’s political landscape

The disclosure by Mohammed Sharshad, a Chennai-based businessman, who is also a CPI(M) activist, that Malayalam cinema’s “super mega star” Mammootty has shocked the secular, liberal and democratic political leaders of Kerala. The CPI(M), CPI and Congress leaders have come out openly against the Sangh Parivar for portraying Mammootty as a Jihadi. The disclosure about Mammootty’s links with Jihadi organisations was made by a Muslim youth, a local leader of the CPI(M).

The first person to attack Sangh Parivar about the report about Mammootty’s Jihadi links was K T Jaleel MLA, a former CPI(M) minister and former president of the banned SIMI. Jaleel is famous for his speeches and writings that India could be liberated only through Islam. Then other ministers took up the issue and it has caused ripples in Kerala.

Mammootty, who was a below-average student during his college days is an Arabic graduate from Maharaja’s College Ernakulam. While he was a student, Prof Ummer was the head of the Arabic Department and it was the latter who set the question papers and valued the answer sheets. No Arabic student has failed in BA Arabic examination in Maharajas College those days. The title super mega star reminds one of the age-old adage in the land of the blind, the one-eyed is the King. Mammootty is no match for his counterparts in Hindi movies or Hollywood.

Being a Jihadi or communalist is not a crime. The issue here is that one who questions the organized bargaining capacity of the Muslim community becomes persona non grata in Kerala. Leaders who were bold enough to point out the hidden agenda of the Muslim political and spiritual leaders ended up in dustbins.

EMS Namboodirippadu tops the list of such persons who were decimated by the Islamist leaders. Before the 1991 assembly elections, there was a suggestion from certain CPI(M) leaders like E K Nayanar and M V Raghavan (both left to meet Marx, Lenin and Stalin) that the party should ally with the Muslim League. But Namboodirippadu was quick to retort that the Muslim League should get rid of its name and flag (that resembled the Pakistani national flag) to be considered an ally. Leaders of the Muslim League became furious and they saw to it that Namboodirippadu was cut to size and the CPI(M) removed him from the coveted position of general secretary in 1992.

The next to earn the wrath of leaders of the Muslim community was A K Antony who was the chief minister during the period 2001 to 2004. The 2003 Marad beach massacre that saw the slaughtering of eight Hindu fishermen by Islamic radicals happened during Antony’s tenure. Antony was for an investigation by the CBI but made a hasty retreat as Muslim League leaders throttled the move. But he warned the League leaders openly that the organized bargaining power of communal outfits would not be entertained by his Government. This hurt the Muslim League leadership who asked the Congress High Command to remove Antony from the chief minister’s post at the earliest. That’s how Antony tendered his resignation post-2004 Lok Sabha polls and moved over to New Delhi.

V S Achuthanandan, a widely respected leader of the CPI(M) was sworn in as chief minister in 2006 after the assembly election. Achuthanandan was always against any kind of communalism and fanaticism. During a press meeting in the national capital in 2010, Achuthanandan said that Love Jihad was a reality. “The Muslim fundamentalists have an agenda to convert Kerala into a Muslim majority State within the next two decades,” he had said.

Though the CPI(M) lost the 2011 elections by a whisker, the party returned to power in 2016 making use of the goodwill enjoyed by Achuthanandan all over Kerala. The highway from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram was dotted with larger-than-life-size posters of Achuthanandan giving an impression that he would be the automatic choice of the CPI(M) as chief minister after the election. But Pinarayi Vijayan, whose pictures or posters were conspicuously absent, was nominated as chief minister by the party’s leadership and since then the former has become the uncrowned king of Kerala. Achuthanandan was sidelined not because of the influence wielded by the Muslim community in the CPI(M). .

The ire of the Muslim League and community leaders also claimed the political career of G Sudhakaran, a CPI(M) minister who was disliked by the district-level leaders of Alappuzha (all belonging to the Muslim community) from where he hails. PC George, the seven-time legislator who had defeated both the LDF and the UDF in assembly elections was made to bite the dust in his home turf of Poonjar for lambasting Love Jihad and the role of various Islamist outfits in this operation. For more than four decades, George was a secular leader acceptable to the Muslim community. But when he pointed out the plight of the victims of Love Jihad, George became an enemy of humanity and the entire Muslim community voted against him in the 2021 assembly election. This is Kerala’s brand of secularism. Caveat Emptor would be the ideal word of caution for those daring to question the Islamic outfits.

(The writer is a special correspondent with the Pioneer, views are personal)

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Breach Grows Between Biden and Israel’s Leaders Over Rafah Invasion

Defiant Israelis have vowed to do “whatever is necessary” in the Gaza Strip despite the American president’s threat to withhold weapons.

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By Adam Rasgon ,  Julian E. Barnes and Michael Levenson

Adam Rasgon reported from Jerusalem.

Israeli leaders declared on Thursday that they would not be deterred by President Biden’s threat to withhold more arms shipments if the military launched a major assault on densely populated areas of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Defiant and at times disdainful of the Biden administration’s stance, their comments made clear the widening rift between Israel and the United States over the war and the prospect of a full-scale invasion of Rafah, where about a million Palestinians are sheltering.

And they came as high-level negotiations aimed at reaching a cease-fire and hostage deal were derailed — at least for the moment — amid anger by some of the participants over a military incursion into Rafah by Israeli forces earlier this week.

After that incursion, Mr. Biden said the United States, Israel’s closest ally, would not ship more weapons that could be fired into crowded sections of Rafah. On Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman said his nation had enough munitions on hand to proceed with its plans.

Other Israeli leaders said the military would press ahead with its campaign to destroy Hamas, which led the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

“I turn to Israel’s enemies, as well as to our best of friends, and say: The state of Israel cannot be subdued,” Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said at a memorial ceremony. He said the country would do “whatever is necessary” to defend its citizens and “to stand up to those who attempt to destroy us.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while not responding directly to Mr. Biden, also struck a defiant tone. “If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” he said.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, was openly scornful of the American president. “Hamas ♥ Biden,” he wrote on social media, drawing what appeared to be a rebuke from Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog. Even when allies disagree, Mr. Herzog said, “there is a way to clarify the disputes.”

On Tuesday, American officials disclosed that Mr. Biden had withheld 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs out of concern that they could be dropped on Rafah. The administration was reviewing whether to hold back future transfers, including kits that convert so-called dumb bombs into precision-guided munitions, the officials said.

American-made weapons, including heavy bombs, have been essential to Israel’s war effort. But as the death toll in Gaza rises, Mr. Biden has been under mounting domestic pressure to rein in the Israeli offensive. In his comments on Wednesday, during an interview with CNN , he acknowledged that U.S. bombs had killed civilians in Gaza.

The Biden administration’s concerns have only grown since Israeli tanks and troops entered eastern Rafah on Monday night, taking over the main border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli forces have stopped short of entering built-up parts of the city, but Mr. Netanyahu and others have signaled that such an operation is necessary to eliminate Hamas battalions there.

John F. Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, reiterated on Thursday that while Mr. Biden still supports Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas, “smashing into Rafah, in his view, will not advance that objective.”

Nadav Eyal, a prominent columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth, a centrist Israeli newspaper, wrote on social media that Mr. Biden’s shift on weapons for Israel was “the most serious clash between an American administration and the government of Israel since the first Lebanon war.” During that conflict, which began in 1982, the Reagan administration suspended the delivery of cluster-type artillery ammunition and other weapons to Israel.

“We’ve reached a boiling point,” Mr. Eyal said in an interview. “Issues that have been negotiated behind closed doors have now been brought into the public view in a very ugly way.”

Some observers had seen signs this week that Hamas and Israel were edging closer to a deal that would result in a cease-fire and the exchange of hostages being held in Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

But on Thursday, high-level talks in Cairo were put on hold, according to officials briefed on the negotiations and Egyptian state media. One official said anger had flared among participants over Israel’s seizure of the Rafah border crossing.

While midlevel Egyptian, Qatari and American officials remained in Cairo, the Hamas and Israeli delegations both left on Thursday, Hamas and Israeli officials said. William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director and top American negotiator, also left Cairo, according to multiple officials. The officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic negotiations.

Mr. Burns had met with Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday in an effort to persuade Israel to continue negotiating over a cease-fire proposal recently revised by Hamas.

One official said that negotiators did not believe that Hamas or Israel were leaving the negotiations permanently. And a senior Egyptian official told state-owned television that mediation efforts were still underway to bridge the differences between Israel and Hamas .

Hamas is seeking an end to the war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, while Israel is offering a temporary cease-fire. Mr. Netanyahu has said that Israel will not stop fighting until Hamas is eliminated and all the hostages are freed.

Israel’s incursion into Rafah this week has displaced about 80,000 people there, most of whom are now sheltering in the southern city of Khan Younis or along the Mediterranean coast in Deir al Balah, both areas that lack basic services, Farhan Haq, a United Nations spokesman, said on Thursday.

The Israeli military had told about 110,000 civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah, which has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, many of them living in tents without adequate food, water and sanitation.

Riyad al-Masry, a sign language interpreter, said on Thursday that he and his extended family had left Rafah even though he had already moved five times since the war began. The prospect of a sixth move was “torture beyond torture,” he said — but he said nearby fighting gave him little choice.

“We are almost in the middle of danger,” Mr. al-Masry said.

Mr. Haq said that goods and fuel had not entered through the Rafah crossing in recent days and that hospitals may have to shut down their generators in a few days. He said the World Food Program had reported that its main warehouse in Gaza was inaccessible because of fighting and that only one bakery in Gaza was still operating.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian office in Geneva, described Rafah as a “highly active war zone,” and said it presented “serious challenges” for aid distribution in southern Gaza and farther north in the territory.

“We reiterate that the parties’ obligation to facilitate aid does not end at the border or in a drop-off zone,” he said. “Aid must safely reach those who need it.”

Reporting was contributed by Matthew Mpoke Bigg , Iyad Abuheweila , Myra Noveck , Aaron Boxerman , Vivian Yee , Erica L. Green and Farnaz Fassihi .

Adam Rasgon reports from Israel for The Times's Jerusalem bureau. More about Adam Rasgon

Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades. More about Julian E. Barnes

Michael Levenson joined The Times in December 2019. He was previously a reporter at The Boston Globe, where he covered local, state and national politics and news. More about Michael Levenson

Our Coverage of the Israel-Hamas War

News and Analysis

The International Criminal Court prosecutor requested arrest warrants  for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, presented Netanyahu with an ultimatum , saying he would leave the government if it did not soon develop a plan for the future of the war in Gaza.

At least 64,000 Gazans have been displaced from the northern town of Jabaliya as Israel’s military launched a new offensive there .

Demanding New Leadership: Some reservists in the Israel Defense Forces, who have returned home from war, have joined the growing calls within Israel  for Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition to step aside.

Gaza’s Wartime Economy: In the seven months since Israel started bombarding Gaza, the enclave’s economy has been crushed. In its place, a marketplace of survival has arisen focused on the basics .

Protest in Brooklyn: A large pro-Palestinian protest in Brooklyn erupted into a chaotic scene , as the police arrested dozens of demonstrators and at times confronted them violently.