Muslim Girls in India Rally against Hijab Ban

By Staff, Al Jazeera

For four days so far, a group of 28 Muslim girls stood in protest in front of the Junior Pre-University College in the Karnataka state after they were denied entry for wearing hijab – an issue that has snowballed to other colleges in the southern state.

On Monday morning, several ladies were allowed to enter the premises of the college located in the coastal town of Kundapur in Udupi district, but they were in for a shock after college authorities did not allow them to sit in their respective classrooms with other students.

On the same day, the college officials posted a notice outside the gate declaring prohibition of hijab in classrooms as part of the college uniform code.

The decision of the Kundapur College to segregate Muslim girls, however, has angered students and activists who called it a form of “religious apartheid” and “untouchability,” a reference to the banned practice of discrimination against members of lower castes in the Hindu socio-religious hierarchy.

The Campus Front of India [CFI], an organization of Muslim students active in southern Indian states said in a statement on Sunday that a ban on hijab is “an organized nationwide conspiracy [that] is systematically executed by the right-wing Hindutva [Hindu-ness] groups to dehumanize Muslim women.”

Visuals of students being shut outside the gate by several colleges in the state have caused mounting outrage among the Muslim minority and triggered protests since last week, with rights groups describing the move as a violation of the rights of Muslim students to practice their religion and access education.

Tensions escalated after students and activists backed by Hindu nationalist groups started to wear saffron color scarves, calling for hijab ban in educational institutions in the state – where Muslims form 12 percent of the population.

On Tuesday, students and Hindu right-wing activists were seen marching into campuses wearing scarves and turbans in many colleges across the state andin some cases, clashing with police.

A viral video showing a student in hijab being heckled by a group of Hindu men in Mandya district has caused an online outrage, with many hailing the girl for her bravery in standing up to the “mob.”

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] announced a three-day closure of educational institutes across the state and appealed for calm.

Last week, his government issued a directive that all educational institutions should follow dress codes set by management.

On Wednesday, the state high court which is hearing a petition by the Muslim girls to allow the use of hijabs in educational institutions has referred the case to a bigger panel of judges.

The lawyers appearing for the girls on Tuesday argued before the court that the practice of hijab is protected under the right of freedom of religion guaranteed in the Indian constitution and that the state has no power to ban it.

The controversy over hijab first started a month earlier when a group of six Muslim students at a government-run women’s college in Udupi district was denied entry into their classrooms because the administration alleged they were defying the rules by wearing the hijab.

The girls, however, defiantly resisted the pressure even as they were made to sit outside the classrooms on stairs.

The controversy has reignited the debate about the rights of India’s minorities under the Hindu nationalist government. Activists have said attacks against Muslims and their religious symbols have increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The hijab ban came as the religious minorities, mainly Muslims and Christians, faced attacks from the right-wing Hindu groups in the state – home to the Indian IT hub of Bengaluru. The state’s Hindu-nationalist BJP government has passed laws against cow slaughter and anti-conversion believed to target minorities.

However, the governing BJP defended the hijab ban, arguing that it violates rules on uniform.