A Karnataka college student namely Muskan, who chanted ‘AllahHuAkbar’ in front of an outrageous crowd of Hindu extremists in a viral video, exposed the alarming division in India amid hijab row.
Confrontations have been escalated between Muslim students and Hindu pupils after six Muslim female students had been stopped from attending classes at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in the coastal city of Udupi on December 28, 2021.
A college in India’s Karnataka state barred female Muslim students from classrooms, saying the hijab was not part of the school’s uniform.
The move sparked widespread protests ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7qFDL8qCto
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 8, 2022
The video of a Karnataka student Muskan wearing hijab went viral after she was heckled by over 100 male students wearing saffron scarves at PES College, Bangalore located in Karnataka state’s Mandya district amid the ongoing hijab row controversy.
Muskan Khan wearing hijab becomes a symbol of resistance and being praised globally for challenging the Hindu extremists by solely standing up to the mindless mob outside her college.
After being stopped and heckled by the mob of Hindu extremists, Muskan chose to give a courageous reply as she chanted ‘Allah Hu Akbar [Allah is Great]’ to the slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram [Victory to Lord Rama]’. The mob ran towards her in a violent manner but she was immediately taken away by the college’s principal and professors.
Muskan Khan, an Indian Muslim woman who wears the hijab, is being praised for standing up to a far-right Hindu mob outside her college. A ban on headscarves in universities in Karnataka state has angered Muslim students across India, prevented Muslim women from attending classes pic.twitter.com/NbG4M4UNAT
— TRT World (@trtworld) February 9, 2022
The video spread like wildfire across the globe and so far, it is ruling the social media trends with different hashtags including #AllahHuAkbar, #Muskan, #HijabRow. Muslims across the world showed solidarity with the college student who set a new example of bravery.
While talking to NDTV, Muskan said that she was not worried about facing the bigots alone and she would keep keep fighting for her right to wear the hijab.
She detailed that the men in the group were stopped her to enter the college because she was wearing burqa. She added that they started shouting Jai Shri Ram and then she also started chanting Allah Hu Akbar. Muskan said that the principal and lecturers had supported and protected her. She said that education is the top priority but they [Hindu extremists] are ruining it.
#NDTVExclusive | “Some men were outsiders, but 10 per cent were from college, but most were outsiders,” says Muskan, student in #Hijab who was heckled by students in saffron shawls in #Karnataka today.#KarnatakaHijabRow pic.twitter.com/DWff3u1MJh
— NDTV (@ndtv) February 8, 2022
Malala Yousafzai’s response
Pakistani activist for female education and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai said, “College is forcing us to choose between studies and the hijab.”
Malala Yousafzai said, “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”.
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
— Malala (@Malala) February 8, 2022
New York Times on hate speech in India
A NYT report said that activists and analysts warned that the calls for anti-Muslim violence — even genocide — are moving from the fringes to the mainstream, while political leaders keep silent.
It read, “Once considered fringe, extremist elements are increasingly taking their militant message into the mainstream, stirring up communal hate in a push to reshape India’s constitutionally protected secular republic into a Hindu state.”
“Activists and analysts say their agenda is being enabled, even normalized, by political leaders and law enforcement officials who offer tacit endorsements by not directly addressing such divisive issues.”
Adding fuel to the fire, ThePrint founder Shekhar Gupta wrote, “It’s distressing that the hijab-saffron scarf row in Karnatka is forcing even the well-meaning voices of modernity and liberalism to defend the regressive practice of covering up young women. Beyond whataboutery of ghoonghats and turbans, Indians shouldn’t allow this to become another politically bruising Shah Bano moment that haunts our future.”
Our #50WordEdit on the Hijab-saffron scarf controversy pic.twitter.com/xDj1Bj8WkP
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) February 8, 2022
Gupta’s comment was widely criticised.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra supported the college students in Karnataka amid Hijab row and said, Whether it is a bikini, a ghoonghat, a pair of jeans or a hijab, it is a woman’s right to decide what she wants to wear. This right is GUARANTEED by the Indian constitution. Stop harassing women.”
Whether it is a bikini, a ghoonghat, a pair of jeans or a hijab, it is a woman’s right to decide what she wants to wear.
This right is GUARANTEED by the Indian constitution. Stop harassing women. #ladkihoonladsaktihoon
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) February 9, 2022
A journalist, Rohini Singh wrote, “You are missing a very important point. The right to choice- even if it is a bad choice according to us. Shah Bano case was about rights of Muslim women. This is also about the rights of Muslim women to wear whatever they wish to. A bunch of lafangas don’t decide. The women do.”
You are missing a very important point. The right to choice- even if it is a bad choice according to us. Shah Bano case was about rights of Muslim women. This is also about the rights of Muslim women to wear whatever they wish to. A bunch of lafangas don’t decide. The women do.
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) February 8, 2022
She added, “Modernity cannot be forcibly imposed on people. Education helps us to unlearn. To deny these girls education because they choose to endorse a practice that seems regressive is shameful and ironic given that it is education that liberates.”
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan said on Twitter, “Genocide is at the doorstep. It’s not just on Muslims (and Dalits) to fend for themselves. Progressive well-meaning Hindus will have to call out the hate within, demand accountability & force action! Your silent disassociation is meaningless.”
Genocide is at the doorstep. It’s not just on Muslims (and Dalits) to fend for themselves. Progressive well-meaning Hindus will have to call out the hate within, demand accountability & force action!
Your silent disassociation is meaningless.pic.twitter.com/9P9dHCndcO— Neeraj Ghaywan (@ghaywan) February 8, 2022
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ordered the closure of all high schools and colleges for the next three days as the hijab row turned violent in some parts of the state.
It may be noted here that Karnataka high court is hearing a case against the ban on hijab filed on behalf of the Muslim students.