Karnataka College Bars Muslim Students From Entering Classrooms For Wearing Hijabs. This Is A Violation Of Fundamental Rights!

 There are a lot of things that have changed over the years like technology, our lifestyle, and education to name a few things. But the only thing that didn’t change is people’s opinion about women’s clothing. FYI, we are living in the 21st century. Men have this weird obsession of nagging women for their fashion choices no matter what they wear and this is just beyond our understanding. Men do love mansplaining and questioning women for their choice of clothing. If a woman wears short clothes, they say she’s too bold and does not have any respect for her culture and if she wears clothes that cover her from head to toe, they say she’s shackled by her own faith. Such people do not understand the concept of choice and TBH, there’s no end to this misogynistic attitude. A similar case came to light in Karnataka where eight Muslim students were not allowed to enter their classroom just because they were wearing hijabs/headscarves.

A government pre-university college for girls in the Udupi district of Karnataka made headlines for barring Muslim students from entering their classroom for three weeks for wearing hijabs and headscarves. The Muslim students have been protesting and insisting that the college management allows them to return to their he classrooms wearing the hijab as it is their right and an essential part of their faith. That does make sense. On the other hand, the school authority seems to not have budged from their decision. 

According to media reports, eight Muslim students studying in the commerce and science streams in classes 11 and 12 have claimed that they have not attended classes since the end of Decemeber. The students alleged that they have been marked absent by the college authorities, as directed by the college principal Rudre Gowda, even though they are going to college. The college principal had claimed that the hijab ban has been put in place to have ‘uniformity’ in the institute.

The students stated that they started wearing the hijab in college in December 2021, after they realised that there was no particular rule banning hijabs, in the college rulebook. Many organisations along with the parents of these students are trying to resolve this issue with the college authorities but it has not reaped any results yet. Honestly, I’m infurated. I cannot even begin to explain how problematic this is. Telling students what they can or cannot wear is just plain wrong. 

Also Read: Malala Yousafzai Writes Letter To The Taliban For Resumption Of Schools For Girls

The school authorities are clearly violating the right of education of these young Muslim students as well as forcing them to choose between getting an education and their faith. According to the reports, these Muslim students are wearing the school uniform with their hijabs and headscarves, so they are not breaking any dress code set by the college. So, why women’s clothing choices are such a big deal in our society?

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