Sunni Jam-Iyyathul Ulama Central Committee Secretary S P Hamza Sakhafi and Sunni Jam-Iyyathul Ulama Central Committee President Khazi M Abdul Hameed Musliyar Mani hoped that the controversy surrounding hijab will be resolved harmoniously.
“We are not demanding a particular colour for headscarves. Even the veil of uniform can be used as a headscarf by Muslim girl students,” Khazi and Hamza Sakhafit told reporters at Patrika Bhavan on Tuesday.
“The controversy is a conspiracy to suppress individual freedom enshrined in Constitution. A small issue over hijab that erupted in a college in Udupi was made to spread across the entire state. A few are exploiting the situation for political mileage,” charged Hamza Sakhafi.
“It is not only Muslim women alone who wear a headscarf. Women have been using the ‘pallu’ of their saree to cover their heads in various parts of the country. It is mandatory for Muslim women to wear it as per Islam. Muslim students were wearing headscarves in educational institutions without any worry in past,” he said.
“India is a country where people flaunt diverse religious symbols while maintaining communal harmony in the society by living unitedly. Students, irrespective of their caste and religion, were pursuing their education in schools and colleges. But, attempts are being made to sow seeds of hatred in the minds of students and divide them into lines of caste, which is condemnable,” he added.
Even the names of children studying in educational institutions are different. The contention that wearing headscarves is discrimination and is against equality in the classroom is a childish argument, claimed Sakhafi.
He said, “The High Court's interim order is applicable only to colleges where the college development committee has adopted a dress code or a uniform. Unfortunately, the order was misinterpreted and efforts are on to keep Muslim girl students out of the classrooms.”
Sunni Jam-Iyyathul Ulama Karnataka demanded contempt action against such misinterpretation.
“We have full faith in the judiciary and believe that the High Court’s judgement will be in favour of freedom enshrined in the Constitution. All the awakened citizens should unite to overcome division among students in educational institutions in the name of religion and protect the Constitutional rights,” he added.