Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday spoke out after the row over wearing hijabs in education instututes in Karnataka snowballed into a major controversy.
Muslim students in several districts in Karnataka were denied access to campuses and classrooms, heckled and asked to stick to uniforms for wearing the hijab.
"Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women" the education activist tweeted.
The hijab row started last month at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi, Karnataka, when six students said they were restricted entry because they insisted on wearing the hijab. In Udupi and Chikkamagaluru, right-wing groups opposed Muslim girls wearing the hijab to school.
The debate quickly spread beyond Karnataka's boundaries, surfacing in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry. Madhya Pradesh's minister ruled in favour of "discipline" and a "uniform clothing code." Authorities in Puducherry have asked the head of a government school to look into accusations that a teacher objected to students wearing headscarves in class.
After a tense atmosphere prevailed in the state, Karnataka announced the closure of all high schools and colleges for the next three days. CM Basavaraj S Bommai appealed for "peace and unity."
So far, five women from a government college in Udupi have filed petitions in the Karnataka High Court challenging hijab restrictions. The hearing is expected to continue today.
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Published 09 February 2022, 04:48 IST