Indian Muslim students say hijab ban forces choice of religion or education


By Sunil Kataria

UDIPI, India (Reuters) - Ayesha Imthiaz, a devout Indian Muslim who considers wearing a hijab an expression of devotion to the Prophet Mohammad, says a move by her college to expel hijab-wearing girls is an insult that will force her to chose between religion and education.

"The humiliation of being asked to leave my classroom for wearing a head scarf by college officials has shaken my core belief," said the 21-year-old student from southern Karnataka's Udupi district, where protests over the head covering ban began.

"My religion has been questioned and insulted by a place which I had considered as a temple of education," she told Reuters.

"It is more like telling us you chose between your religion or education, that's a wrong thing," she said after studying for five years at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial college in Udupi.

Several Muslim girls who protested the ban had received threatening calls and were forced to stay indoors, she added.

College officials say students are allowed to wear the hijab on campus and only asked them to take it off inside the classroom.

Udupi is one of three districts in Karnataka's religiously sensitive coastal region, which is a stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The stand-off has increased fear and anger among minority Muslims, who say the country's constitution grants them the freedom to wear what they want. Protests over the ban have escalated, with hundreds demonstrating this month in Kolkata and Chennai.

Last week, a judge at the state's high court referred petitions challenging the ban to a larger panel.

The issue is being closely watched internationally as a test of religious freedom guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

The U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) on Friday said the hijab bans "violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls."

In response, India's foreign ministry on Saturday said outside comments over internal issues were not welcome and the matter was under judicial review.

Imthiaz and six other Muslim girls protesting the ban say they are determined to fight for their religious freedom in the face of some hardline Hindu students and even some of their friends.

"It is really hurtful to see our own friends going against us and telling 'I have a problem with you wearing the hijab'...its affected our bonds and mental health," Imthiaz said.

(Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

India says 'motivated comments on internal issues not welcome' after criticism on Hijab ban

Dawn.com

 

Published February 12, 2022 - 

   

Muslim women hold placards as they take part in a demonstration in Kolkata

 on Friday to protest after students at government-run high schools in India's

 Karnataka state were told not to wear hijab in the premises of the institute. — AFP

As the controversy and protests over banning hijab in schools continued in India, drawing condemnation from Pakistani and US officials, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday said "motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome".

In a short statement issued on Twitter, the spokesperson for the ministry, Arindam Bagchi, said, "A matter regarding dress codes in some educational institutions in the state of Karnataka is under judicial examination by the Honourable High Court of Karnataka. Our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as our democratic ethos and polity, are the context in which issues are considered and resolved."

In an apparent reference to the US, the spokesperson added, "those who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these realities. Motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome."

The issue grabbed headlines last month when a government-run school in Karnataka's Udupi district barred students wearing hijab from entering classrooms, triggering protests outside the school gate. More schools in the state followed with similar bans, forcing the state's top court to intervene.

However, the issue shot into the spotlight and garnered reactions from celebrities and politicians in India and Pakistan after a video of a hijab-clad student being heckled and jeered at by a mob of Hindutva supporters in Karnataka surfaced on social media.

Read: Hindutva 'unveiled' as RSS mob heckles hijab-clad Muslim girl in India's Karnataka state

Pakistan had also summoned the Indian envoy and conveyed the government's "grave concern and condemnation on the deeply reprehensible act" of banning Muslim students from wearing hijab in Karnataka.

In addition, 'Solidarity Day with Indian Daughters' was observed on Friday across the world, on a call by the Pakistan Ulema Council and International Islamic Conference, according to a report by Radio Pakistan.

A day earlier, the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Rashad Hussain, criticised the hijab ban, saying the Indian state "should not determine permissibility of religious clothing".

"Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire ... Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatise and marginalise women and girls," he added.

Earlier this week, the Karnataka High Court told students not to wear any religious clothing until it delivers a verdict on petitions seeking to overturn a ban on hijab in schools.

The court is considering petitions filed by students challenging the ban that some schools have implemented in recent weeks.

"We will pass an order. But till the matter is resolved, no student should insist on wearing religious dress," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi as saying.

The advocates appearing for the petitioners objected to the interim order, saying it amounts to "suspension of our rights", according to The Wire. But the court said it was a matter of a few days and adjourned for the day.

Keep religion out of schools, says actor Hema Malini on Karnataka hijab ban

IMAGES STAFF

The actor and BJP politician's statement on "respecting uniform codes" isn't sitting well with a lot of people.

Photo: Hema Malini/Instagram

A government-run high school in the Indian state of Karnataka issued a hijab ban on campus last month which then caught on to other schools in the district, causing an uproar. This led to intense protests by hijab proponents and opponents and the situation became so serious, that authorities issued an order for schools to shut down. The row hit its peak point when a hijabi woman Muskan stood up to the right-wing extremists and now the ongoing debate has a new addition — BJP MP Hema Malini has spoken on the matter, favouring the anti-hijab perspective.

The actor and politician said, "Schools are for education and religious matters should not be taken there. Every school has a uniform that should be respected. You can wear whatever you want outside the school."

It seems like Malini is trying to employ a secular viewpoint but netizens were quick to point out that students wear bindi [coloured dot worn on the forehead], turbans and crucifix necklaces and no one bats an eye. This primarily leads to the inference that this is discriminatory behaviour, targeting a specific group.

The main point here is that the hijab is not a fashion statement — it's a part of some Muslims' every day lives and to tell them to take it off in school translates into religious intolerance.

Several netizens were quick to oppose the BJP MP's comments.

Recently, a young woman named Muskan showed great courage against some right-wing extremists who were protesting against hijab at her college. The swarm of men wearing saffron scarves saw this burqa-clad woman and starting shouting "Jai Shri Ram" at her and making obscene signs to which she responded with equal sheerness, screaming "Allahu Akbar". The video of the exchange went viral on social media and Muskan's reaction won hearts all over Pakistan, it was even applauded by celebrities.

SEE LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Hinduism Is Fascism