Stop Discrimination Against Girls Wearing Hijab!
Ensure Right to Religion, Right to Women’s Autonomy and Education Guaranteed by the Constitution of India!
Stop Discrimination Against Girls Wearing Hijab!
AISA strongly condemns the continuing disruption of education of Muslim girl students across various colleges in Karnataka through institutionalised Islamophobic policing. In two such instances in a span of a month, two colleges –Udupi Government College and Kundapura Government College have barred girls from entering the college if they wear a Hijab!
In continuance of the ‘hijab row’ that erupted in Udupi last month, such incidents of barring girl students from accessing education on account of their religious identity are gradually becoming the norm in educational institutes across the BJP-ruled state of Karnataka. On 1st and 2nd February some students of Newtown Sir MV College of Arts and Commerce, Bhadravati (Shimoga District) and First Class College, Koppa (Chikmagalur District) respectively, wore saffron shawls to college to retaliate against the constitutional right of Muslim girls to wear a hijab. In a shocking video that emerged from Kundapura Government College on 3rd February, it was seen that the college gate was being closed against a large group of Muslim girl students, thus clearly denying them entry into their place of education.
These series of incidents meant to terrorise the minorities particularly Muslim women is a clear infringement upon the constitutional right of every citizen to practise their religion. It is also an infringement of their right to education, as also an assault against the autonomy of Muslim women to practice their religion and to wear clothes of their choice. Women, irrespective of their religion, are morally policed for the clothes they wear – be it a dupatta, saree, jeans or a hijab. Does it disentitle women from availing education because of what they wear? The State, whose duty is to ensure the protection of the constitutional rights of every person, is in fact being mute when the same is being blatantly violated by government colleges, no less! In Udupi, the six girl students are still barred from entering the classes despite protests and outcry from across the country. As an eye wash, the state government has issued an order to maintain status quo in the Udupi college until a high-level committee constituted submits its report on whether hijab can be allowed along with uniform!
AISA strongly condemns the rising number of hate crimes against minority communities in Karnataka, which also specifically and in a premeditated manner targets Muslim women for their resistance against the imposition of manuvadi and communal agenda. Be it the online auctioning of Muslim women by anonymous Bhakts or the barring of Muslim girl students from colleges through tacit state approval – the well-orchestrated assault by the Sangh Parivar to oppress minority communities has to be resisted and fought against. It is our immediate task to resist the tide of the multi-faceted attacks orchestrated by the Sangh Parivar on religious minorities, Dalits, Adivasis and women; and uphold the rights guaranteed by our Constitution.
