Udupi Hijab Controversy: Here's Why It Has A Deeper Meaning Than Its Mere Appearance
The five girls in a pre-university college in Karnatka¡¯s Udupi who were barred from classes for wearing a Hijab have begun to protest. This comes a day after a meeting was organised to solve the issue, but it failed to bring any conclusion to the ongoing controversy.The girls are now holding placards as a sign of protest against the decision to not allow them to wear Hijabs in classes.
Let's understand the controversy in detail.
What is the controversy?
On 31 December 2021, when the students went to their respective classes after lockdown, about eight girls were told by their teachers to "remove the hijab or leave the classroom."?While the girls weren't expecting the brazenness, they weren't entirely shocked either.
Days after the girls were prohibited from entering the classroom with their hijabs, the PU college authorities held a meeting with the parents of the students, which was chaired by chairman of the college's development committee and BJP MLA of Udupi, K Raghupati Bhat. Students were informed after the meeting that the school will stick to its decision of no hijab in classrooms.
¡°Hijabs have never been allowed to be worn since the beginning as part of the uniform. There is a uniform that everyone wears as part of the policy and Hijabs are not part of that. We have written to the government regarding this and are awaiting their reply,¡± the MLA said.
What's happening right now?
The girls now allege that they are being forced to apologise to the college authorities. "We are being threatened to take back our protest and apologise," Almas told The Quint.
¡°We are practising Muslims, and the hijab is a part of our faith. Along with that, we are also students with aspirations for a career and a good life. Why are we suddenly expected to choose between our identity and our education? That isn¡¯t fair at all,¡± another student Aliya said as per The Quint's report.
"Though it is our fundamental right, though it is our constitutional right, they are still not allowing us to go in the class because we are wearing hijab. There are lots of discrimination done in that college and we can't speak in Urdu. We can't do salam to each other. These are the discrimination done in that college. This matter is becoming communal," Assadi said.?
Soon after the Udupi issue captured eyeballs, a group of students of a government-run-university in Chikmagalur held protests against students wearing the hijab, by spotting saffron scarves on their necks. Another such protest was held at Pompei College in Mangaluru, with students wearing saffron scarves. Some among them were from the ABVP.??
Why is it more than what appears to the eyes?
But, it isn't just about religious discrimination, and that is worrisome on many levels. IndiaTimes asked Muslim women about what they feel when not allowed to wear hijab.
"Suppressing identity"
"The hijab is not simply about religion ¨C women wear it for a variety of reasons that can change, depending on the time and social context," said Afrah Ahmad, a scholar at Delhi University.
"Those who force Muslim women to not wear hijab, are either trying to suppress their identity or are frightened of their own identity's dissolution. But, different religions, faiths, identities can co-exist," said Afrah.
"Islamophobia"
Afrah added: "Today, some women wear the hijab to signal pride in their ethnic identity. There has been high number of cases of Islamophobia from across the world for the same reason. They fear people in hijabs, veils, skull caps."
"Curb resistance"
Another student who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, "For many other women, the headscarf has become a means of resistance to standards of feminine beauty that demand more exposure. Proponents of this view argue that removing clothing for the benefit of the male gaze does not equal liberation."
"I believe when the system tells you to not wear a hijab, they are trying to curb that resistance. They see this as a threat tool and want it out of their sight," she said.
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