In early February, a disturbing incident occurred inside an educational institution in India. A Muslim girl was heckled and chased by a large group of Hindu boys who were chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. This shocking event had a demoralizing effect on the Muslim community. The incident took place during a students’ agitation in Mandya, Karnataka, where Hindu students were questioning the right of Muslim students to wear the hijab inside classrooms. This is just one example of the harassment and social exclusion faced by Indian Muslims, which has limited their freedom in various aspects of democratic life. The vilification of Muslim women, particularly through the use of technology tools such as ‘Sulli Deals’ and ‘Bulli Bai’ apps, further exacerbates the situation.
December 2021 witnessed an escalation of Islamophobic rhetoric when saffron-clad Hindutva leaders called for the massacre of Indian Muslims during a religious parliament held in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. This conference aimed to deceive Hindus into believing that Muslims were taking over India, and that their complete elimination was necessary to save the situation. One leader even urged the killing of 20 lakh (two million) Muslims, claiming that India was on its way to becoming an Islamic state. These incidents set the stage for the hijab controversy.
The issue came to light on December 31, 2021, when Muslim girls in Udupi protested against being sent out of their classes for wearing the hijab. Discrimination against hijab-wearing students had been ongoing since September 2021, with students being made to stand outside the classroom and marked absent. The situation escalated on January 14, 2022, when three of the petitioners were manhandled and threatened inside the college. Hindu students in different colleges started counter-protests by wearing saffron clothing and preventing hijab-wearing girls from entering campuses.
Investigations by The News Minute revealed that the hijab controversy was not simply a violation of college rules, but a communal issue instigated by Hindu groups like the Hindu Jagarana Vedike, who provided saffron shawls and turbans to protesting Hindu students. Political motives might have influenced the escalation of the issue. The case is currently in court, where the right to wear the hijab is being claimed as a “cultural and religious right” rather than an individual’s rational choice. The argument revolves around the freedom of conscience protected by Article 25 of the Constitution.
While it is essential to protect individual rights within religious communities, including the freedom to dissent and challenge outdated doctrines, the right to wear the hijab in public or government educational institutions should not be denied. It does not pose a threat to state interests, security, public order, health, or morality.
However, it is important to subject religious beliefs and practices to philosophical and ethical scrutiny from within. The case of Bijoe Emmanuel, where students refused to sing the national anthem due to religious beliefs, involved an act of omission and did not perpetuate questionable customs. Hijab-wearing, on the other hand, is an act of commission that raises ethical questions that need to be examined further.