2022 Karnataka hijab row

2022 Karnataka hijab row
DateBeginning of February 2022 - 15 March 2022
Location
Karnataka, India
Resulted inKarnataka High Court upholds ban on hijab in educational institutions
Parties
Muslim students
Educational institutions, Government of Karnataka
Casualties
Arrested2

At the beginning of February 2022, a dispute pertaining to school uniforms was reported in the Indian state of Karnataka, when some Muslim students of a junior college who wanted to wear hijab to classes were denied entry on the grounds that it was a violation of the college's uniform policy which was also followed by the other religion students as well.[1][2] Over the following weeks, the dispute spread to other schools and colleges across the state, with groups of Hindu students staging counter-protests by demanding to wear saffron scarves.[3] On 5 February, the Karnataka government issued an order stating that uniforms must be worn compulsorily where policies exist and no exception can be made for the wearing of the hijab. Several educational institutions cited this order and denied entry to Muslim girls wearing the hijab.[4][5]

Petitions were filed in the Karnataka High Court on behalf of the aggrieved students. On 10 February, the High Court issued an interim order restraining all students from wearing any form of religious attire. The order was implemented in all schools and colleges across Karnataka, with students, and in some cases teachers, being asked to remove hijabs and burqas outside the school gates. After a hearing of about 23 hours spread over 11 days,[6] the court delivered its verdict on 15 March 2022, upholding the restrictions on hijab.[7] The court ruled that the hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam.[8] Y-category security has been provided to the Karnataka High Court judges who delivered the hijab verdict, and two people were arrested for making threatening speeches.[9] After control of the state legislative assembly changed from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the Indian National Congress in the 2023 election, the new state government rescinded the order in December 2023.[10]

The implementation of dress codes by educational institutes, banning the hijab, was criticised inside India and abroad by officials in countries including the United States and Pakistan, by Human Rights Watch, and by figures like Malala Yousafzai. [11] [12] The ban was defended by politicians such as Arif Mohammad Khan, Aaditya Thackeray, Vishva Hindu Parishad and activist Taslima Nasreen.[13]

  1. ^ TNN (9 February 2022). "Hijab Row: How Karnataka hijab row unfolded, spread". Times of India.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Telegraph Udupi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Karnataka college students wear saffron scarves protesting against hijab in classrooms". India Today. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  4. ^ Chowdhuri, Rupak De (9 February 2022). "Indian students block roads as row over hijab in schools mounts". Reuters.
  5. ^ ABP News Bureau (5 February 2022). "Karnataka Govt Issues Fresh Order Amid Hijab Row, Says Uniform That Affects Harmony Must Be Banned". ABP Live.
  6. ^ "Hijab row: Karnataka HC reserves verdict on petitions after 23 hours of hearing". The Hindu. 25 February 2022.
  7. ^ "LIVE updates: Karnataka HC upholds Hijab ban". The Siasat Daily. 15 March 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference handbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Y-security to Karnataka HC judges who delivered hijab verdict; 2 held for threat speeches". The Indian Express. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Karnataka to withdraw hijab ban order, announces CM Siddaramaiah". Indian Express. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  11. ^ Ganguly, Meenakshi (15 February 2022). "India's Hijab Debate Fueled by Divisive Communal Politics". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  12. ^ Correspondent, Special (9 February 2022). "Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai comments on hijab controversy in Karnataka". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 August 2022. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "Taslima Nasreen says burqa like chastity belt of dark ages, uniform civil code a must". Hindustan Times. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.