The issue of hijab has led to the closure of schools and high schools in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Karnataka’s local government decided to close schools and pre-universities after protests erupted in defense of or against the veil in classrooms.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban attack and traveled to Pakistan to speak out about girls’ right to education, called on Indian leaders to “do something to stop the marginalization of Muslim women.”
“It is horrible to prevent girls wearing the hijab from going to school. Women continue to be instrumentalized, whether with more or less coverage,” she wrote on Twitter.
These tensions have raised concerns among the Muslim minority in India. They say India’s constitution is secular and guarantees freedom to all citizens.
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The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit filed by Muslim women today (Wednesday). In a rare move, the judge called on students and others to “keep the peace.”
The protests began with six students at a government pre-university center being barred from attending classes due to the hijab. The protest later spread.
A number of Hindu students then used saffron shawls, one of the symbols of the Hindus, to protest the Muslim veil.
Where did the story begin?
Six students in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have been barred from attending classes due to the hijab. They protested and the photos were widely shared on social media.
Oedipus is one of the three coastal areas of the state and one of the strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Some observers see the state as a laboratory for implementing the policies of the extremist party that is now in power in the state.
High school officials said they had allowed students to attend school in hijab and only asked them to remove their hijab from the classroom. But the students, all in uniform uniforms, said they should be allowed to cover their hair in class.
“We have a few male teachers and we have to cover our heads with them. That’s why we have a hijab in the classroom,” one of the students told the BBC.
The school principal says mandatory uniforms have helped eliminate discrimination on the part of students, but teachers need to be able to see their students’ faces.
These students deny the allegation that they are affiliated with the “Indian Student Front”. Indian Student Front The student branch of the Indian People’s Front is a fundamentalist Muslim group.
Hijab and burqa are very popular in India, as the display of religious symbols is very common in this country.
Numerous meetings of students, school officials and government officials have been fruitless.
How did you protest to other schools?
The issue of hijab had been raised in several high schools in Karnataka before, but when the photos of students protesting the removal of hijab in Udop were shared on social media, the dimensions of the story expanded.
Hindu students then went to class in saffron shawls, prompting school officials to insist that neither hijabs nor shawls were allowed.
Last week, a video showing a group of veiled female students at the entrance to a pre-university camp sparked outrage and protests.
Hindu students, both boys and girls, then began marching in protest of their classmates’ hijab.
There was no violence until yesterday, but hours before the Muslim trial began, stoning and even arson were reported in several cities.
Local authorities banned more than four people from gathering to block the rally, citing a British colonial law.
Another video was widely circulated on social media, showing a group of men in saffron shawls approaching a woman in a burqa and chanting “Peace be upon God.” The woman shouted “Allahu Akbar” as school officials escorted her away.
The woman later told the Express India newspaper that the high school principal had assured her that she would support him:
“Several other Muslim girls were similarly insulted and ridiculed. The principal and school officials never stopped us from wearing the burqa, so why should I listen to others?”
A senior police official told the BBC that these were “minor cases” and that the situation was under control.
However, after a group of students raised a saffron flag at their high school and the video was released, the government ordered an investigation.
What does the state government say?
The Karnataka state education minister has backed high school officials who have banned both the hijab and the saffron scarf. He also said that “ill-wishers” had provoked the students to protest:
“The fight is basically political. All this is because next year the state assembly elections will be held.” He said the Popular Front of India intends to expand its influence in the state.
The state Home Secretary also called on students to “maintain order.”
What is the court hearing?
Two lawsuits have been filed. One says freedom of dress is a fundamental right recognized in the Indian constitution. Another questioned the legitimacy of the recent decision of the local government, which has ordered educational institutions to ban hijab and headscarves.
The protesters’ lawyer called the ban on hijab a violation of the constitution and illegal, and asked the court to issue a temporary ruling allowing students to return to the classroom before the exams.
Judge Krishna Dixit said he would rule in accordance with the constitution: “I will act on the oath I have taken. It is not a healthy condition for students not to be in the classroom.”