After Karnataka, now Hijab controversy in Srinagar school, demonstration of Muslim girls, said- we will not stop wearing it

After Karnataka, the hijab controversy has now reached Jammu and Kashmir. Girl students of Vishwa Bharati Mahila School located in Rainawari area of Srinagar allege that they are being prevented from wearing hijab.

They say that hijab is a part of our religion and we will not remove it at all. When it is allowed to be installed in other schools, then why not in our school? The girl students protested on the road against this order of the school administration.

Question of girl students- Girls wearing hijab do not have the right to education?
Expressing displeasure, the Muslim girl students said that the school administration is making the issue religious. Communal statements are being made on their behalf.

A Muslim girl said that the school administration is asking us to either remove our hijab or go to a dargah. The question of girls is whether girls wearing hijab do not have the right to education?

Understand the clarification given by the school administration in 2 points…

1. Principal said- asked to keep the face open inside the school
School Principal Meem Rose Shafi has given clarification on this matter. He said that there has been some misunderstanding on this issue. From our side, girl students were asked to keep their faces uncovered inside the school, as many girls have their faces completely covered. It is difficult for the teacher to identify the student and in some cases many children also mark their proxy attendance. Because of this we asked not to cover the face inside the school.

2. Hijab is the school’s dress code, come wearing it
The principal further clarified that the school has its own dress code. It also includes white colored hijab, but many girls wear black or different colored designer hijab instead of white hijab. She was told that if she has to wear hijab, then wear white, which is included in the dress code.

When Muslim girls were stopped from wearing hijab, she sat on dharna

On 31 December 2021, 6 Muslim girl students were stopped from wearing hijab in a college in Udupi district of Karnataka, after which they sat on a dharna. The controversy spread to the rest of the state as well. After this, students belonging to Hindu organizations started coming to the college wearing saffron shawls instead.

When there was violence regarding this, the state government banned the wearing of all kinds of religious clothes in schools and colleges. Some people challenged the Karnataka government’s decision in the High Court. The High Court said that college uniform is necessary.

Karnataka’s case is now in the Supreme Court

Hijab dispute of Karnataka reached the Supreme Court. Till the hearing, the Supreme Court issued a circular to all the colleges of the state that students of all religions should come in uniform. Later, the bench of two judges of the Supreme Court could not reach a consensus on this decision. Now this matter is pending with the larger bench of the Supreme Court.