Pak Sahafat – The ban on hijab in India has become a hot topic in recent weeks, with many experts arguing that the laws, which were enacted in the southern state of Karnataka, violate the freedoms of women and girls guaranteed by the constitution.
According to Pak Sahafat news agency, various media outlets have reported discriminatory conditions against hundreds of Indian Muslim women and girls across the state of Karnataka. Muslim girls are barred from attending schools and universities because of the way they are dressed, they are threatened and isolated, and they are even separated from other students and attend separate classes.
They also face a challenging path in court. The Karnataka Supreme Court has temporarily banned all religious clothing in the classroom. The court ruling effectively suspended the basic rights of a group of Indian citizens, stating that until the case is resolved, Muslim girls must choose between staying at home or leaving the basic part of faith and modesty to enter the classroom.
The Indian Express wrote: Is there a question of religious freedom here? Or hijab, “uniformity” or uniform? Is the coastal state of Karnataka extremely polar? In this state, parties like Bajrang Dal and VHP are pitting societies against each other while sowing the seeds of Hindu majority (Hindu nationalism)? The faction of the truth argues that the hijab violates the uniform and is therefore uniform. The Karnataka government says students can not wear clothing that violates public order, order and integrity. Can tilak (a sign worn by Hindus on the forehead to indicate status, ethnicity, or religion), clothing such as the Sikh turban or the hijab violate public order?
A Muslim girl in Karnataka asked, “Does my hijab make a noise?”
Lawyers for students at a college in Kundapura, Karnataka, point out that religious symbols have always been a part of public life in India, and point out the difference between the Indian model and the European model, which seeks to negate religion from public life. Basically, according to Articles 14, 21, 25 of the Indian Constitution and the institutionalized right to education, it is unconstitutional and illegal to deny access to Muslim girls simply because they wear a headscarf. Numerous rulings in Indian courts have upheld the right to use religious symbols in educational institutions, and the principle of hijab in Islam has been proven in Indian courts.
Increasing pressure on minorities is the ruling party’s strategy for gaining more votes ahead of state elections
A set of religious laws, including a ban on the hijab by the ruling Hindu nationalist party in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, has raised concerns about the possibility of escalating sectarian tensions in India.
Reuters reported: The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party, which controls Karnataka, has banned Muslim girls from wearing the hijab in the classroom. A ban on conversion in Karnataka is also being considered.
Opposition parties and many political analysts in India have accused the BJP of escalating tensions in Karnataka to seek the support of the Hindu majority. Critics say the BJP is using similar methods in other states under its control to win more votes.
The BJP denies the allegations, saying recent measures, including a ban on the hijab in Karnataka, a bill banning the conversion of Hindus to Islam and Christianity, and a ban on the slaughter of cows, which is considered sacred in Hinduism, aimed at attracting more Hindus.
The hijab ban has sparked protests by Muslim parents in Karnataka, as well as protests by Hindus in orange dresses and flags in support of the ban.
The protests have not led to violence, but such tensions in India have increased in recent years. India has witnessed widespread violence between Hindus and Muslims since gaining independence in 1947, but these tensions have rarely occurred in southern India.
Developments in India in recent years, which have mostly targeted Muslims, include the spread of Islamophobia, blaming Muslims for spreading the corona in India, spreading terms such as “love jihad”, the controversial citizenship law, and so on.
Read more: Human Rights Watch criticizes ban on hijab in India: https://www.paksahafat.com/en/?p=19759
Muzaffar Asadi, a political analyst who teaches at the University of Missouri at Karnataka, said the hijab issue targets young people as young as 18 who can run in next year’s state election.
Karnataka Government: Hijab is not the main pillar of Islam
The Karnataka government told the Supreme Court on Friday that the hijab is not a necessary religious element in Islam and that preventing it does not violate Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.
India Today Network announced: Karnatka’s lawyer Prabhuling Nawadi said the state government had stated in its position that wearing the hijab was not a necessary act in Islam and therefore did not include Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.
Al-Jazeera, meanwhile, wrote: The community of 200 million Muslims in India is concerned that the ban on the hijab violates their religious freedom, which is guaranteed by the constitution. The International Organization for Religious Freedom (IAEA) said Friday that banning the hijab in India marginalizes women and girls.
In India, headscarves are worn by almost all women, including Hindu women
According to the Pew Research Center, headscarves are relatively common among Indian women. According to a survey conducted in 2019-2020, 6 out of 10 women in India (61%) say they cover their heads outside the home. This includes the majority of Hindu women (59%), Muslim women (89%) and Sikh women (86%).
Indian women wear different headscarves in different parts of the country. This tradition is especially prevalent in the predominantly Hindi-speaking areas of the northern, central and eastern parts of the country.
In Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, about 9 out of 10 women say they wear headscarves in public. In contrast, fewer women in southern India cover their heads in public, including only 16 percent of women in Tamil Nadu.
Thus, these actions may not be about order and uniformity in Indian society, but about the growing sensitivity of Muslims in the country. From now on, in a country that is called the second largest democratic nation in the world, will Muslim girls be attacked and humiliated for entering the classrooms? While they follow their religion and this right is guaranteed in the Indian constitution.