Kerala Muslim education body's directive to ban burqa on campuses triggers row

The controversy erupted amid the banning of burqa in Sri Lanka after the terror attacks claimed by Islamic State and in Maharashtra Shiv Sena demanding a ban on burqa for security reasons as well.

The Muslim Educational Society (MES), an educational body that since 1964 which has been striving to provide education to the Muslim women in Kerala and now about 150 insitutions ranging from CBSE school to engineering colleges, has recently issued a circular that triggered a controversy and reactions from Muslim clerics and student organisations.

Dr PA Fasal Ghafoor, president of MES, issued the circular which effectively means the students should not cover their faces with veil on the campus (read wear burqa) and there should be no dressing on the basis of religion.

“MES aims at social and cultural progress of Muslims through education and it insists that the students under its colleges should be reasonable in dressing as well as studies and  co-curricular activities. We should discourage all tendencies that are inappropriate. So such dressing in the name of neither modernisation nor religion could be tolerated.  Heads of institutions and local management should be more careful to insist the same,” the circular read.

In the circular issued last month,  PK Fazal Gafoor said the move should be implemented from the 2019-20 academic year without sparking any controversy.

"Without creating any controversy, the institutions must make sure to implement from 2019-20 academic year that students do not come to the class wearing any attire covering their face," the circular said.

Image: Women speakers at an MES event in Calicut

Amid opposition to his directive, Gafoor told media that a High Court order earlier said that all educational group managements retain their right to decide on dress code.

"We will not allow students or teachers to cover their faces with face veil from the coming academic year," he told NDTV.

"Covering the face is not inherent to the culture in Kerala, the tradition and practices of faith followed here. Students cannot even be recognised with their face veils nor students can follow the teachers well if they wear face veil. If any other Muslim organisations have issues with this decision, they can allow for face veils in institutions under them,"  Gafoor said.

Meanwhile, Muslim groups started opposing the move. Samashtha, an orthodox body of Muslim scholars, said the circular was “un-Isalamic”.

“As per the Islamic rules, the body parts of women should not be shown out. The MES has no right to issue a circular banning the attire covering the face of women. Islamic rules should be followed,” Umar Faize, a Samastha scholar, said, according to The Hindu Businessline.

Bollywood writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar meanwhile courted controversy when he equated the Muslim burqa with the Hindu-Sikh-Jain ghoonghat (veil). 

“If you want to bring a law banning burqa here (in India) and if it is someone’s view I have no objection. But before the last phase of election in Rajasthan, this government should announce a ban on the practice of ‘ghunghat’ (covering of the face by Hindu women) in that state,” Akhtar told reporters in Bhopal, as quoted by News18.

The remarks of Akhtar drew the ire of Karni Sena of Rajasthan, a fringe group which had opposed the release of Bhansali's period drama Padmaavat.

Jivan Singh Solanki, president of the Maharashtra wing of the Karni Sena, said buqa is assoicated with terrorism and cannot be equated with Hindu ghoonghat. He speaking to Times of India said Karni Sena has sought an apology of Javed Akhtar within three days or face consequences.

Akhtar tweeted in response: "Some people are trying to distort my statement . I have said that may be in Sri Lanka it is done for security reasons but actually it is required for women empowerment. Covering the face should be stopped whether naqab or ghoonghat."

Some people are trying to distort my statement . I have said that may be in Sri Lanka it is done for security reasons but actually it is required for women empowerment . covering the face should be stopped whether naqab or ghoonghat .

— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) May 3, 2019