In an interview with India Today, Karnataka’s 2nd PUC 2023 topper Tabassum Shaik said she chose education over hijab to reach a position where she can ensure the injustice (of a uniform dress code mandate in educational institutions) never happens again. She was referring to the court order banning all kinds of religious attires from educational institutions.
When asked about her views on the hijab controversy, Shaik said, “It was a period of uncertainty. I was very confused and depressed. The hijab is an integral part of my identity and also my religion. But first, it is a part of my identity. It is something which I have been wearing since I was five. It was very difficult for me to give it up, and I did not want to. It is a secular country. I should be allowed to wear my Hijab while I pursue my education. So it felt very unfair. Very unjust.”
“When the verdict came out, my parents encouraged me to comply with the orders. I did not attend college for two weeks because I was very confused about what I should do. But my parents said that if I was able to acquire an education, then I could get to a position where I could prevent such injustices from happening in the future. So that was my main motive for continuing to attend college,” she added.
Interestingly, it was presented as if she chose education over hijab. “I decided to give up the hijab (in college) and pursue my education. We will need to make some sacrifices for education,” Shaikh was quoted as telling The Indian Express. However, from her recent statements, it seems she favoured Hijab in educational institutions, and it has become her life’s motive to fight the government order that mandates an uniform dress code and bans all religious attires from educational institutions.
Karnataka Hijab row
The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum since the first week of January last year after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijabs. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code mandated for the students.
The Muslim girls, adamant about wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing the hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.
The controversy spiralled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks and protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear hijab to college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote, and other parts, as stones-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state.
As reported earlier, the students had begun to wear hijab to schools and colleges after they had met the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student branch of the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), in October 2021. The students confessed that they had spoken with the CFI.
