Adding to the ongoing burqa and hijab controversy in Karnataka colleges, Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the President of All India Imam Association, on February 10 affirmed that the hijab is the dress code of Islam and that the women should stay in purdah to keep themselves safe and protected in society. He appealed to all the Muslim women to continue to wear burqa and also asked the Muslim men to adopt the traditional Muslim attire including the kurta and the skull cap.
Maulana Sajid Rashidi accused the educational institutions in Karnataka of not following the Indian Constitution. He said that following religion (Islam) is the fundamental right of Muslims and wearing hijab is an ‘integral practice of Islam’.
In an exclusive conversation with activist Amber Jaidi, Rashidi said, ‘women go topless to colleges, schools and nobody questions them, why girls wearing hijab, burqa are being targeted’. “Wearing jeans, going topless to schools is not considered decent in Islam. Women must maintain purdah and keep safe distance from men. She should not wear tight clothes and expose her body parts to men in the society”, the controversial Islamic cleric added.
When Amber Jaidi asked who goes to schools and colleges topless, Rashidi replied that lots of girls do so. He asked her to visit colleges to see girls roaming around topless and indecent clothes, jeans. He said that if students have the fundamental right to wear jeans in colleges, they also have the fundamental right to wear the burqa.
Maulana Sajid Rashidi की जुबान फिसली और अंदर छिपे हुए गंदे विचार सामने आ गए…#hijab #HijabControversy #hijabnahikitaabdo#womenwearinghijab #MaulanaSajidRashidi #NewVideoAlert
— Amber Zaidi 🇮🇳 (@Amberological) February 9, 2022
देखिए पूरा वीडियोः-https://t.co/7RD4u7GzYX pic.twitter.com/U13lepCyi8
Maulana based all his opinions on the Quran. He clearly pointed out that Islam draws its principles from the Quran, Hadith in its entirety and women who do not wear hijab or burqa are assumed to not be following Islam as their religion.
‘RSS is attacking Islam by not allowing hijab’, Maulana-
In a sharp blatant criticism to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said that the ‘RSS goons’ are trying to attack on Islam by first banning triple talaq and now not allowing hijab. “These people (RSS) want to make India a Hindu rashtra. They want to practice hooliganism in the entire country. They don’t even respect the tricolor. They consider only saffron flag”, he blatantly accused. (video pause 17:13).
He also dragged the Karnataka institutions into the debate and said that the colleges had just begun walking on the paths of the RSS. “The boys who protested against the Muslim women wearing hijab were styled in saffron scarfs. Who are these people? What kind of example are they setting up? They (RSS) want to divide this nation on the basis of religion”, he alleged, conveniently forgetting that the Karnataka hijab row was first initiated by eight Muslim girls who denied to follow the college rules regarding the same uniform dress code.
Muslims shall practice their ‘majhab’ where ever they go-
He went on to argue with interviewer, activist Amber Jaidi, who is also a Muslim, on the context of constitutional rights. He accused her of not following Islam and said that ‘freedom does not mean Muslim women forget their culture, tradition and the way of life mentioned in Quran’. He charged her for adopting free thoughts and called it ‘haram’.
Adamant on his opinion that ‘Muslim women should maintain veils (pardah) and should wear hijab’, he said that Muslims shall practice their ‘majhab’ where ever they go. “The community which I belong to believes in following Islam in colleges, markets and the entire society. Nobody can stop us from doing so”, he reaffirmed. (video pause 16:40)
Maulana Rashidi’s warning Hindus in past-
Maulana Sajid Rashidi is known for his ‘scholarly’ opinions that mostly are anti-hindu and difficult for the civic society to acknowledge. On January 8, he had passed several warnings that Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir might be demolished by some Mohammad Bin Qasim in future. He tried to articulate mythical fantasy that leftists in India continue to peddle in order to whitewash the crimes of tyrannical Muslim rulers who invaded India.
Rashidi had said that Muslim kings who ruled India in the past were benevolent and secular rulers, who not only built mosques for their Muslim subjects but also built temples and generously donated for the upkeep of existing Hindu religious places. He had made similar controversial remarks during the Bhumi pujan of the Ram Temple in August 2020. He had then said that a mosque will be rebuilt after demolishing the Ram Mandir. He also had claimed that Prime Minister Modi had ‘violated the constitution’ by visiting the Ayodhya temple event.
A complaint was later filed against the Islamic cleric for making provocative statements against Hindus and for issuing threats to demolish the under-construction Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
Hijab controversy supported by Islamic fundamentalists-
While the High Court is yet to rule it’s judgement over the hijab row, the ‘left-liberals’ and the Islamic fundamentalists from various countries are seen supporting and openly instigating the Muslim girls to violate the established rules on uniform dress code.
Earlier today, Taliban extended its support to the Muslim women and them for defending the Islamic values. “The struggle of Indian Muslim girls for hijab shows that hijab is not an Arab, Iranian, Egyptian or Pakistani culture, but an Islamic value for which Muslim girls around the world”, tweeted Inamullah Samangani, Deputy Central Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Pakistan ministers also commented on the issue espousing free choice and condemning the bar on burqa-clad students inside the classroom. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said it is a grave violation of fundamental human rights. “The world must realize this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims,” the minister stated.
The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum since the first week of January after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijab. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code suggested to the students. The Muslim women, adamant on wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Article 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.
The controversy spiraled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks, protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear Hijab to the college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts as incidents of stone-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state.
