An issue at the intersection of freedom of religion and the right to education, has taken Karnataka and the entire country by storm. Many educational institutions in the state are preventing Muslim girls from attending class if the students want to wear a hijab.
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“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
– Desmond Tutu.
Articles 14 (right to equality) and 25 (freedom of religion) of the Indian constitution were violated when several colleges in Karnataka imposed an unnecessarily strict dress code upon their students—disallowing students to enter campus if they were wearing anything other than just the uniform.
Evidently, this attempt was to target students belongings to a particular community i.e., Muslim girls wearing the hijab. These students found themselves stranded outside the gates of their colleges.
Students Of All Religions Practice Their Faith
The principal of Bhandarkars’ Arts & Science College in Udupi, Narayan Shetty, was indirectly intimidated about his college facing unrest, by reason of a group of people threatening him to enter the college with saffron scarves. Why?
This is because they said that the students wearing a hijab could practice their religion within the specified rules of the college, where they are supposed to match the colour of their scarf to the colour of their uniform.
Was it really about the colour of the hijab or an attempt to divide people on communal grounds?
If it is about practicing one’s religion then let me remind the readers that our Christian brethren wear the cross, which represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Our Sikh brethren wear a turban, which shows their love, obedience and respect for the founder of the Khalsa tradition, Guru Gobind Singh. Also, our Hindu brethren wear a tilak on their foreheads, between their brows: a point that is supposed to be the confluence of power and piety.
Seeds Of Communalism Sowed In Young Minds
It has nothing to do with the hijab or tilak. It is clear cut case of an ideology filled with hate being peddled. This is ruining the social fabric of Karnataka and creating a communal divide among students from different backgrounds, who thought of each other as friends and classmates earlier.
The reality is that the future generations are being brainwashed to seize the dignity and prosperity of people belongings to minorities. Words like “secularism”, and phrases like ‘unity in diversity’ are being systematically eliminated.
These words seem to be fit only to be written on paper. Our leaders like Gandhi, Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, and many more were deeply committed to represent the aspirations of different sections of the Indian society.
The emergence of extremist voices who claim to speak for the Hindus, with the agenda of establishing a Hindu rashtra (nation), must be noted. The phrase ‘Hindu khatre mein hai’ (Hindus are in danger) refuses to recognise the contributions of all Indians (Muslims, Sikhs and other minorities) to the country.
Schools Are Supposed To Teach Tolerance
Majoritarian sentiments are being invoked and people are being reminded of a few, barbaric, Muslim conquerors and rulers. The biggest challenge to the Indian society is the idea of an aggressive Hindu rashtra, threatening the very idea of a secular India.
India is home to almost every religion in the world, while its majority community is being pushed towards an ideology which is hateful and disastrous in nature. The issues like the hijab row, which come from nowhere, are the signs of communalism, division and discrimination.
Educational institutions are meant to teach us how to be enlightened and democratic citizens. We learn how to protect each other and preserve the fundamental values that are enshrined in our constitution.
We learn to fight for truth and justice, not to fight each other. Our schools, colleges and universities are now becoming safe havens for the politics of violence. Hate will only create hate whereas love begets love.
“I Am A Responsible Indian Muslim”
We, the students, are the strongest hope for successful nation building. We need to be a collective unit, responsible for saving each other from the bombardment of segregation.
I, being a responsible Indian Muslim, should be protecting the rights of all my brethren from various religions, be they from Kashmir or Aligarh, or any other part of the world. The same applies to all others: Hindu or Christian. This needs to be done so we can break the chains of hatred.
Yesterday, the victim might have been a Muslim, but given the pace at which hate is unfurling in India, it is not long before the devil will come knocking at your doors. Silence was never an option!
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Auqib Hassan Gojri is pursuing a master’s degree in economics from the Aligarh Muslim University. Auqib can be reached at auqibhassan321@gmail.com