Hijab Row
India rejects 'motivated' comments by some countries on hijab row
New Delhi/UNI: India on Saturday rejected "motivated comments" on the hijab controversy by some countries and said the issue is under consideration of the Karnataka High Court, and would be decided based on India's democratic ethos and polity and constitutional framework.
Following comments from Pakistan, which summoned the Indian Charge D'Affaires to register its protest over the hijab ban in schools in Karnataka, and the latest by a US official, India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a statement said, "A matter regarding dress code in some educational institutions in the State of Karnataka is under judicial examination by the Hon'ble High Court of Karnataka.
"Our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as our democratic ethos and polity, are the context in which issues are considered and resolved.
"Those who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these realities. Motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome."
The US Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) on Friday said that the hijab ban "violates religious freedom and stigmatizes and marginalizes women and girls."
US Ambassador-at-Large for IRF Rashad Hussain in a tweet said, "Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire.
"The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls."
On Wednesday, Pakistan summoned the Indian Charge D' Affaires to register its protest over the hijab row in Karnataka schools.
The Karnataka High Court is hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the government order banning the hijab in government educational institutions.
In an interim order on Thursday, the court said that no religious garments must be permitted on campuses until the court reaches a verdict.
Religious clothing (including head scarves) has been banned in France since 2004 while many countries in Europe earlier banned burqa for security reasons.
Interestingly, in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country, a government decree in May last year directed the schools against enforcing the jilbab (hijab) as part of their uniform, after reports of discrimination against girls who removed them surfaced.
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