The state government, by its order from the High Court on February 10, 2022, banned wearing religious clothes that disturb equality in schools and colleges. The hijab should be seen as an eye-opener.
It all started in January 2022 in Karnataka. The controversy erupted when Muslim students of a junior college were denied entry to attend classes as they violated the college uniform code by wearing a hijab. The issue soon spread to other schools and colleges in Karnataka.
Muslims who wear headscarves as an indicator of Islamic faith considered the hijab ban an attack on their religious rights. On the other hand, Hindu students started staging counter-protests demanding to wear Saffron Scarves.
Hijab VS Saffron War
Students filed petitions in the Karnataka High Court. It argued ‘that under Article 14 and Article 25 wearing of hijab is considered to be a fundamental right for women
March 15, 2022 verdict of the High court contended that Wearing a hijab is not an essential religious practice and thereby students should adhere to uniform codes imposed by educational institutions for secular education.
On September 20, 2022, the State Government told the Supreme Court that the Karnataka government order that sparked a controversy over the hijab was “religiously neutral.”
“No students insisted on wearing hijab till 2022, now students were goaded into wearing hijabs because of the Popular Front of India’s social media campaign asking students to start wearing hijab again,” says Solicitor General Tushar Mehta
Hijab Popular Front of India
- It started in Kerala in 2006
- It is an Islamic organization that advocates Muslim reservations.
- They tag themselves as a neo-social movement.
- In 2022, they started a movement on social media to campaign over the headscarf.
- It was created to create an agitation on the religious feelings in the mindsets of people.
- PFI’s continuous social media messages ask students to ‘start wearing hijab’
“Hijab should be seen as an eye opener and it will pave the way for students to prepare for the diversity of the country,” says Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.
