Indian Girls Struggle to Wear Hijab in College

Religious Conflict

Repeated instances of vigilantism and hate speech against Muslims in the area have deepened religious conflicts and led to the emergence of minority-led vocal groups asserting their right to religious freedom.

In this case, for example, the university said the problem this is further complicated by the involvement of the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student wing of the radical Islamist group, the Popular Front of India. CFI members but contacted the organization when the college stopped them from attending classes.

“I have requested a report on this matter,” the education minister said. state of Karnataka BC Nagesh.

“This is basically politics. All this happened because elections were held dwalkan next year,” Nagesh added, referring to efforts by the Popular Front of India’s political wing to gain traction in the coastal belt. when they try to wear the hijab in their freshman year of college, they are told that their parents have signed a form preventing them from doing so. The pandemic then kept students away from college for months – during this time, says Almas, they realized that the form only mentioned the mandatory uniform and said nothing about the hijab.

At the end of December, when they returned to college wearing headscarves, they were not allowed to enter class, he said.

Principal Rudre Gowda alleged that the six women were deliberately creating trouble and that the rest of the Muslim students – about 70 – had no objections to the rule.

He said and that initially, about a dozen women wanted to wear the hijab, but the number decreased after she spoke with their parents.

“What we said was that when their classes start, they have to take off their headscarves,” she said.

She added that it was necessary for teachers to see students’ faces, and that uniforms help them ensure there is no discrimination among students.

“There is no rule in any book or document that headscarves are prohibited. We were just told that if allowed, others would demand to wear a saffron scarf,” said Masood Manna, a CFI leader. referring to a recent incident in another Karnataka district where a government college banned both the saffron scarf – its color is seen as a Hindu symbol – and the hijab on campus. Muslim women were allowed to cover their heads with scarves but not tie them with pins.