Hijab Row: AMU students march on campus against ban on wearing hijab in Karnataka colleges

ALIGARH: A large number of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students including girls held a protest march on the campus here on Friday in support of Muslim girls’ agitation in Karnataka against the ban on wearing hijab in colleges there. Carrying posters and raising slogans, the protestors marched from Babey Sir Syed Gate within the campus to the Centenary Gate near Purani Chungi crossing at the periphery of the campus.

They also issued a written statement describing the ban on hijab as an assault on their fundamental right to practice their religion as enshrined in the Constitution of India. The statement said the AMU students had so far refrained from holding any protest and venting out their emotions on this matter because "we do not wish to take any step which could be misconstrued by those who are trying to disturb the peace of the land". The statement further said, "We, however, have been compelled to lodge our protest when an incident took place in Karnataka in which a young girl, protesting against the ban, was hounded by a group of vandals. We salute the brave girls of Karnataka."

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The AMU students’ statement said it was the duty of the government to "ensure the safety and protection of people belonging to all faiths to practice their religions." "Wearing hijab is a fundamental obligation to all those practising Islam and any attack on the right to practice one's freedom of religion is a deliberate attempt to disturb peace in the country by those who indulge in hate politics," it said.

A spokeswoman of the protestors, Mansha Zehra said, “We consider hijab as a sign of freedom, not oppression because we feel that it is a shield against oppression by vandalism. "We will never allow anyone to force us to abandon our right to choose our own dress," she added. The 'hijab' row has taken political colour in Karnataka as the ruling BJP stood strongly in support of the uniform-related rules followed by educational institutions, calling the headscarf, a religious symbol, while the opposition Congress has come out in support of Muslim girls.

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The issue that initially began in January at a government PU College in Udupi where six students who attended classes wearing headscarves in violation of the stipulated dress code were sent out, has now spread to a few other colleges in nearby Kundapur and Byndoor in Karnataka.