Hijab row Refusing girls to wear hijabs in school is horrifying: Malala Yousafzai
New Delhi/IBNS: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday pitched in her support to the students who are protesting against the hijab (headscarves) ban in Karnataka schools and colleges.
Yousafzai, an activist for girls' education, said "refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying."
In a tweet, she wrote: "Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists - for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women."
“College is forcing us to choose between studies and the hijab”.
— Malala (@Malala) February 8, 2022
Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women. https://t.co/UGfuLWAR8I
The controversy started last month at the Government Girls PU College in Karnataka's Udupi when six students alleged that they were not allowed in the classes for insisting on wearing the headscarf.
The Karnataka High Court is hearing petitions filed by five women from the government college in Udupi, questioning hijab restrictions. The court has also appealed for peace to the students amid intense protests.
On Tuesday, the controversy crossed the borders of Karnataka and spread in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry.
Supporting the ban on the hijab, Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar said the government will give priority to following a discipline for students.
In Puducherry, the authorities have asked the head of a government school in Ariyankuppam to inquire into allegations of a teacher objecting to headscarves in class, said reports.
Earlier in the evening, the Karnataka government announced that all schools and colleges in the state will be shut for the next three days after the row over wearing hijab by students inside campuses turned violent.
In a tweet, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed to students to maintain peace and informed them about the order of high schools and colleges' closure.
"I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony. I have ordered closure of all high schools and colleges for next three days. All concerned are requested to cooperate," Bommai tweeted.
The Karnataka High Court will continue the hearing on Wednesday.
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