Karnataka and consequently, the whole of India has been going through a lot of turmoil because of the hijab row. The schools and colleges have banned hijabs from the dress code, not allowing female Muslim students to wear hijabs to schools and colleges, going as far as denying them entry. This whole issue has caught the attention of many Bollywood celebrities including Sonam Kapoor Ahuja who has posted about this, comparing the choice to wear a hijab with the choice to wear a turban.
Actor Sonam Kapoor took to her Instagram stories and posted about the current ongoing debate regarding the Karnataka hijab row and the Karnataka Education Act-1983 which claims that uniform style of clothes has to be worn compulsorily. She posted a story showing a man wearing a turban and a woman wearing a hijab and then asked the question, “This (turban) can be a choice. But this (hijab) can’t?”
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Along with Sonam Kapoor, many celebrities such as Shreya Dhanwanthary, Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi etc have spoken about and outrightly criticised the government and everyone who supports the hijab row. There has also been a lot of attention to the matter from beyond Indian borders with personalities like women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai and Manchester United football star Paul Pogba who have spoken about the hijab row as well.
Regardless of what one might believe in terms of the hijab row, I don’t think you can logically refute the fact that this is a violation of fundamental rights. After all, one must be allowed to wear whatever they please. This is a pressing matter that needs to be discussed and I, for one, am glad for the attention it is garnering.