Karnataka Court Bans All Religious Dress In Schools, Including Hijab, Until Final Ruling On Hijab Row
In clear violation of India’s Constitution, Karnataka state’s High Court on February 10 by ordering a full ban on all religious dress, including hijab, until a final order is passed regarding the raging battle over Muslim women’s right to practice their faith. Lawyer Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the Muslim students, slammed the decision, saying that it was a suspension of their rights.
“What your lordships are saying, that would amount to a suspension of Article 25,” Kamat said, referring to the Constitutional guarantee of “the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion to all citizens.”
Protests have raged on throughout the hearing, with Hindu extremists continuously provoking Muslims for standing up for their basic rights. During one pro-hijab protest held by the All India Students’ Association (AISA), police beat protesters and detained around 50 people. A Hindu extremist group registered a complaint against a Muslim group for financially supporting a Muslim girl after she was harassed by a crowd of Hindu extremist students.
Karnataka education minister B.C. Nagesh, a leader of the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that also rules India, defended the extremist students, falsely claiming that the Muslim girl had “provoked them.” Surendra Jain, joint secretary of the violent Hindu supremacist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which is a BJP ally, called the hijab issue “jihad” and accused Muslims as being “regressive radicals” pushing a “separatist” ideology.
In the midst of this hatred, the protesting Muslim students have come under even greater threat after one college leaked their personal information, including their names, photographs, addresses, and phone numbers. The information is now being circulated on WhatsApp, putting the girls’ and their families’ lives at serious risk.
Though schools are being reopened for now, the Supreme Court of India is considering hearing the case in the near future.
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai Slams Dehumanization Of Indian Muslim Women
Nobel laureate and education rights activist Malala Yousafzai slammed Karnataka state schools over the hijab ban on Twitter, calling the ban “horrifying.” She retweeted an article about the issue to her two million followers, along with a quote from one of the affected students: “College is forcing us to choose between studies and the hijab.”
“Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalization of Muslim women,” Yousafzai said.
She added, “The objectification of women — for wearing less or more — persists.”
Ex Bihar CM Opposition Leader Lalu Yadav Says Modi Pushing India Into Civil War, Compares BJP To British Rule
Former Chief Minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on February 9, warning, “The country is heading towards a civil war under PM Modi’s rule.”
Yadav blasted the Modi government for inflaming communal tensions and encouraging Hindu extremism among the general population while ignoring key structural issues in the country.
“Modi does not talk on inflation, unemployment, poverty and other issues. He always talks about temple-mosque, riots and religions. The people of the country are tired of the propaganda of BJP and Narendra Modi,” he said.
He also compared the Modi government to British colonialism, saying, “British rule has returned to the country after 70 years of Independence in the form of the BJP government.”
