By Rhea Mogul, Manveena Suri and Swati Gupta, CNN
Updated 4:52 AM ET, Thu February 10, 2022
(CNN) A burqa-wearing college student has become a symbol of resistance in India’s Karnataka state, where religious tensions are rising over the right to wear religious clothing to school.
Muskan Khan was attempting to hand in a college assignment in the city of Mandya when she was accosted by a group of Hindu men wearing saffron scarves — the color of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — according to video posted to social media.
The men heckle her as she makes her way across the school grounds, demanding she take off her face covering, but instead of complying, Khan shouts back “Allahu Akbar” as she punches her fist in the air.
The confrontation illustrates the religious divide that’s been widening in Karnataka since a group of girls began protesting outside their government-run school in January after they were denied entry in the classroom for wearing a hijab.
The girls petitioned the state’s top court to lift the ban, prompting rival protests from right-wing Hindu students.
On Wednesday the court referred the petition to a larger panel of judges, but no date has been set for hearings.
Activists say the hijab row is yet another example of a broader trend in India — one that has seen a crackdown on India’s minority Muslim population since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP came to power nearly eight years ago.
They say that by denying Muslim women the choice to wear the hijab, the government is denying them their religious freedoms, enshrined in the Indian constitution.
“This is a massive attempt by the BJP to homogenize Indian culture, to make it a Hindu-only state,” said 23-year-old Muslim activist Afreen Fatima, who has been protesting in support of the students in her hometown of Allahabad in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state.
“Muslim women are isolated in India. And the situation is getting worse every day.”
Suggested Reading by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times:
Hijab By Choice versus Hijab by Coercion?
PM Jacinda Adern: A Superstar Without Hijab and Sometimes With
Three Hijabis: The Three Muslim Women, Who Received Nobel Prize
‘My body, my choice’ – French Muslim women speak out about headscarves
Modest wear is making a groundbreaking appearance in contemporary fashion – and it’s about time
Noble Laureate from Yemen, Tawakul Karman responds to Hijab
Tokyo Olympics: German women’s gymnastics team wears full-body suits
Mother Mary is always with a Hijab in artist’s imagination. How can any open minded Christian be against Hijab? pic.twitter.com/DZuOrGGPFR
— Zia H Shah (@ZiahShah1) December 16, 2015
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#Muskan A Muslim brave girl stood all alone against coward people! So proud of you my sister, stay blessed! #AllahuAkbar pic.twitter.com/0AUXz9Nicz
— Quran & Hadith (@QuranAndHadithh) February 9, 2022
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Categories: Hijab, Hinduism, Hinduism, Hinduism, Human Rights, India, Muslim women, Religion, Rights of Women, Women, Women In islam, Women's right
The Indian state of Karnataka has shut its schools for three days after the regional government backed schools imposing a ban on hijabs, leading to widespread protests and violence.
The issue began in January, when six female Muslim students staged a weeks-long protest after they were told to either remove their headscarves or stop attending class at a government college in the district of Udupi.
Last week, other colleges in the state began to enforce bans after some Hindu students, backed by rightwing Hindu groups, protested that if hijabs were allowed in classrooms, they should be allowed to wear saffron shawls. Saffron is the colour that has become commonly associated with Hindu nationalism.
On Saturday, in an apparent backing of schools’ right to impose a ban, the Karnataka state government directed colleges to ensure that “clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn”.
Muslim students have argued that their right to freedom of religion is being violated, and have taken the issue to state high court. The students have argued that “religious apartheid” is being imposed in some colleges where women in a hijabs are being allowed to enter but are being kept in separate classrooms.
The issue has proved highly inflammatory. At some colleges, Muslim students have been aggressively heckled, while in others the protests between students turned violent, prompting police to charge at crowds and fire into the air.
Police standing guard in Gurgaon, India, to secure the site of Friday prayers amid protests by Hindu groups in October.
New city, old schism: Hindu groups target Gurgaon’s Muslim prayer sites
Read more
On Tuesday, the state chief minister Basavaraj S Bommai suspended schools and colleges for three days and urged students and teachers to “maintain peace and harmony”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/violent-clashes-over-hijab-ban-in-southern-india-force-schools-to-close?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1644421658
BE FAIR AND HONEST !! DONT BE HYPOCRITE !!
Why dont you expose Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Islamic state like Afghabistan, Yamen etc non Women Muslim have no freedom to wear what they want to wear every day life ???
God bless Ahmadiysh with the truth Amen
Somi we let you do it.
Why dont you be fair, what is wrong?
Your Iman tell you that dont do it?
Whereas Islsmic teaching teach us to be FAIR SND HONEST!!! Right?
sorry, do not understand what you mean here