Hijab controversy resurfaces in M’luru

Mangaluru: Hijab controversy has resurfaced in Mangaluru with Hindu students protesting at Mangaluru University campus saying that Muslim students came to class wearing hijabs.

The Hindu students in Mangaluru claim that 40 Muslim students attended classes while wearing hijabs.

The students staging protest here stated that they would continue protesting until the Muslim students remove their hijabs or are sent out. They also warned that they would not attend classes until the matter was resolved.

Reportedly, discussions are happening over the issue. However, the college has not released any statement in this regard.

The Karnataka High Court bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, and Justices JM Khazi and Krishna Dixit, on Tuesday, March 15, ruled that wearing a hijab was not an essential part of Islam.

The bench said, “We are of the considered opinion that the wearing of the hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of the essential religious practice in the Islamic faith.”

The ruling also said, “The government has power to issue an order banning clothes that could disturb peace, harmony and public order and no case is made for its invalidation.”