Hijab matter settled, students should focus on education: CM
BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: Soon after the Karnataka high court upheld the ban on wearing hijab in schools and colleges, saying the entire debate on the issue should be seen from the context of women empowerment, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said everyone should abide by the verdict and cooperate with the state government in implementing it.
“I have just now got to know through the media about the high court’s order regarding the case related to uniform (in class rooms). The court has upheld the uniform and has said that hijab is not an essential religious practice,” Bommai said.
Calling for maintenance of peace and order in the society, he also asked students to focus on their education, by accepting the court verdict.
The high court on Tuesday dismissed petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the Government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi seeking permission to wear hijab inside classrooms, saying the headscarf is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith.
Karnataka primary and secondary education Minister BC Nagesh said the government will try to win the hearts of the “misguided” Muslim girls who are against the move, and “bring them in the mainstream of education”.
“We will try to win the hearts of those girls who were ‘misguided’. We will try to bring them in the mainstream of education,” Nagesh told reporters.
State Congress president DK Shivakumar expressed concern about the education and law and order situation in Karnataka and appealed to the state government to show mature leadership. “My greatest concern in the hijab controversy is education and law and order. The Karnataka high court has given a judgment but the responsibility for education, law and order and communal harmony is still with the government of Karnataka,” he tweeted.
Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders hailed the high court verdict. Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who hails from Karnataka which witnessed violent protests due to the hijab row, appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony. “We welcome this judgment. The basic job of students is to study and there should be unity among students,” Joshi said.
Meanwhile, political parties in Jammu and Kashmir called the decision “deeply disappointing”, saying it was not only about religion but the freedom to choose.
“Karnataka HC’s decision to uphold the hijab ban is deeply disappointing. On one hand we talk about empowering women yet we are denying them the right to a simple choice. It isn’t just about religion but the freedom to choose,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted, “Very disappointed by the verdict of the Karnataka high court. Regardless of what you may think about the hijab it’s not about an item of clothing, it’s about the right of a woman to choose how she wants to dress. That the court didn’t uphold this basic right is a travesty.”
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said the decision is a violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of religion, culture and expression.