Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani women's rights activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has expressed concern over the ban on Muslim students from entering the classroom wearing hijab in Karnataka, India. He described it as a "terrible" incident. This information has been known from the report of NDTV.
The hijab controversy erupted across the state last month after authorities at a government college in Karnataka's Udupi district issued some rules regarding students' uniforms. The new rules state that hijab cannot be followed by class. The hijab is said to be discriminatory. Students will be able to wear 'scarves' as per the instructions of the authorities. However, its color must match the color of the veil. Six students then complained that they were not allowed to take classes because they wanted to wear hijab. Muslim students protested against this rule. Despite opposition from local extremist Hindu groups, many Dalit Hindus have sided with Muslim students. Tensions and debates have been going on in the state for several days now.
This time Malala Yousafzai has spoken about the hijab debate in Karnataka. In a post on Twitter, she wrote, "It is terrible that women wearing hijab are not allowed to enter the school. The tendency to consider women as objects in the question of clothing selection has been increasing. Indian leaders must stop marginalizing Muslim women.
The hijab controversy that started in Karnataka was not limited to that state. The two BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh and Paducheri are also on fire. A Madhya Pradesh minister has called for a 'disciplined' and 'uniform dress code'. A teacher at a government school in Paducheri has been accused of refusing to allow hijab-wearing students to attend classes. Authorities have already instructed the school principal to investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, all schools and colleges in Karnataka have been declared closed for three days due to the hijab controversy. Chief Minister Basbaraj S Bommai has requested everyone to maintain peace and order. The Karnataka High Court is hearing a petition filed by five students of a government college in Udupi challenging the anti-hijab rules.
Malala Yousafzai was born in Pakistan. She was shot dead by militants in 2012 for working to promote women's education despite Taliban obstruction. But luckily he survived. He was taken to the UK for treatment. He has been living in the UK with his family ever since. Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2014 in recognition of her work.
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