(See Why) Court Bans Hijab in Schools
An
Indian court Tuesday upheld a ban on wearing hijab in class in the southern
state of Karnataka, saying the Muslim headscarf is not an essential religious
practice of Islam.
The
high court in Karnataka state delivered the verdict after considering petitions
filed by Muslim students challenging a government ban on hijabs that some
schools and colleges have implemented in the last two months.
The
ban does not extend to other Indian states, but the court ruling could set a
precedent for the rest of the country.
The
dispute began in January when a government-run school in Karnataka’s Udupi
district barred students wearing hijabs from entering classrooms, triggering
protests by Muslims who said they were being deprived of their fundamental
rights to education and religion.
That
led to counterprotests by Hindu students wearing saffron shawls, a color
closely associated with that religion and favoured by Hindu nationalists.
More
schools in the state followed with similar bans and the state’s top court
disallowed students from wearing hijab and any religious clothing pending a
verdict.
The
court in its ruling said the state government had the power to prescribe
uniform guidelines for students as a “reasonable restriction on fundamental
rights.”
Ahead
of the verdict, the Karnataka government banned large gatherings for a week in
state capital Bengaluru “to maintain public peace and order” and declared a
holiday Tuesday in schools and colleges in Udupi.
The
hijab is worn by many Muslim women to maintain modesty or as a religious
symbol, often seen as not just a bit of clothing but something mandated by
their faith.
Hijab
restrictions have surfaced elsewhere, including France, which in 2004 banned
them in schools.
But
in India, where Muslims make up 14% of the country’s 1.4 billion people, the
hijab has historically been neither prohibited nor limited in public spheres.
Women
donning the headscarf are common across the country, which has religious
freedom enshrined in its national charter with the secular state as a
cornerstone.
Some
rights activists have voiced concerns that the ban could increase Islamophobia.
Violence
and hate speech against Muslims have increased under Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s governing Hindu nationalist party, which also governs Karnataka state.
