Muslim girls wearing hijabs are banned from attending classes in India Islamophobia News

Bengaluru, India – When 18-year-old AH Almas and his two friends entered the classroom on a December morning, the teacher immediately shouted, “Get out.”

Muslim girls could not sit in the classroom because they were wearing a hijab or headscarf.

“When we got to the door of the room, the teacher said we couldn’t go in with the hijab,” Almas told Al Jazeera. “He asked us to dig in.”

Since then, a group of six Muslim university students led by the Udupi district government in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have been forced to sit outside the classroom, alleging that the university administration is denying the rules because the Hijab is not a member. uniform.

But the girls told Al Jazeera that the Hijaba is “part of their faith” and that practicing it is a “right guaranteed by law.” They have maintained a defiant stance, even though the administration has allegedly used “tactical pressure” to force them to give up.

Since December 31, the girls have been out of class, even though they said they go to college every day.

“We will not move, under any circumstances,” said Al Jazeera member Aliya Assadi.

A photo of students wearing Hijab and college clothes sitting on stairs outside the classroom has gone viral on social media.

“This issue highlighted our problem in the media,” Assadi said.

From there it continues #Udupi more than a girls ’college #HijabisOurRight subject. 4 Students have not yet been admitted to class. Principal Rudre Gowda has called for parents to gather next week. He says the rules must be followed. No exceptions.@CampusFrontInd has helped these students. pic.twitter.com/VnxgMjBw1h

– Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) January 15, 2022

Their protest has bored the university administration and, according to the group, forced them to write a letter admitting that they had missed classes, leaving them alone at home.

“We tried to give up, but the principal and teachers threatened to ruin our careers,” another Muskan Zainab student told Al Jazeera.

Zainabe said they were pleased to see “the whole world” forced to sit outside the classroom, and that the administration’s claims had failed.

However, students have also suffered humiliation and discrimination for their challenge.

“It’s not a nice thing to have to be out of class all day. Our teachers and classmates make fun of us. They ask us what our problem is with getting rid of Hijaba. They ask why you can’t follow the rules, “Almas told Al Jazeera.

“A friend of mine got sick of this mental torture.”

The incident took place at Government Girls Pre-University College in Udup, Karnataka [Al Jazeera]

Students say they are concerned about the percentage of attendance required to take the annual exams.

Rudre Godda, the university’s director, told Al Jazeera that they could not allow students to wear hijabs in classrooms “because they are not part of the uniform.” He said they are complying with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education.

Gowd said it was the first time such issues had arisen in college, but alumni said they had had similar problems in the past.

“A teacher wearing a hijab made a student sit on the floor in the middle of the classroom and once removed his hijab. We were humiliated for choosing to wear a hijab. everything.

The Hijab ban has sparked a dispute with Indian student groups, accusing the university administration of bias against Muslims.

“We are firmly committed to solidarity and support. We urge Muslim girls to step down in the administration of banning them from wearing the Hijab and allow these girls to enter the classroom with their Hijab, self-respect and dignity, “Afreen activist Fatima, secretary of the Brotherhood Movement in Delhi, told Al Jazeera.

“It’s Islamophobia. It’s apartheid, ”he said.

Students were protesting by interacting with police and other university officials [Al Jazeera]

An association of local lawyers has written to the state government, calling for an investigation into the university administration and faculty for “harassing” students.

“Denying education to young Muslim students and forcing them to choose between education and their faith is a human rights issue and should be treated as such,” the association wrote in its letter.

The Campus Campus Front of India (CFI), an organization of Muslim students active in the southern states of India, has called on the university to break the rules on Hijab and allow students to dress while attending classes.

“Girls are demanding their basic rights. We are with them in this fight, “Aseel Akram, a member of the Udup CFI, told Al Jazeera.

Muslim students at the Campus Front of India office in Udupi, Karnataka [Al Jazeera]

The student body met with university and university officials to resolve the issue, but Akram said no action had been taken yet. He complained that university and district authorities are under pressure from the state government to deny girls rights.

Karnataka is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

K Raghupati Bhat, a local BJP lawmaker who chairs a committee at Udupi University, told student parents that at a meeting the university would follow its uniform code, regardless of students ’religious preferences.

Following the controversy over the Udupin Hijab, students from at least two other universities in the state, including right-wing members Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), protested wearing saffron scarves inside the universities, demanding a ban. Hijab.

ABVP Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a group of students who are members of the BJP’s far-right ideological tutor with millions of members across India dedicated to their goal. the creation of a Hindu ethnic state Indian.

Over the years, Karnataka has increased the activities of Hindu nationalists and religious minorities in the state, especially Muslims and Christians.

Last month, the Karnataka state assembly passed legislation banning religious conversion effectively, with the BJP government denouncing Christian missionary groups. “powerful conversions” Hinduism was rejected by Christian religious leaders.

Back at Udupi University, the girls told Al Jazeera that they would continue to claim their rights.

“We will not move, under any circumstances,” Assadi said.