When wearing the hijab wasn’t such a big deal ten years ago, today after BJP came to power in 2014, anything that displays an identity of a member of any religious minority is a serious matter that raises question mark on the nationalism of the victim. Today in India nationalism means one people belonging to one nation, one religion and one culture. The hijab (a headscarf covering the hair and neck of a Muslim woman/girl) has become a communally divisive issue that has attracted politicians into a highly surcharged ideological debate. Besides the hijab, Muslim women also wear the niqab (veil covering from head, face and feet but not eyes) and burka (covering the entire body with a mesh window across the eyes to enable the woman to see). The hijab controversy in Karnataka erupted in January when Muslim schoolgirls in Udupi and Chikkamagaluru began attending classes wearing the head scarf. In protest, the Hindu students came to school wearing saffron scarves around their neck. Gradually, the issue spread to other parts of the state where Muslim girls demanded permission to attend classes wearing head scarves. Karnataka had always been known for peaceful coexistence of all religions and political parties adhering to secularism, till the BJP came into the picture. Today, Karnataka is witnessing a spurt in number of attacks on people belonging to religious minorities such as Muslims and Christians. Leaving aside the religious debate as well as the fundamental right as enshrined under Article 25, there is more to the growing divide than either hijab or conversion. To attack any member of a religious minority is no longer considered a serious crime but an act carried out because the victim(s) have become the offender(s) for hurting the religious sentiment of the attackers. Such crimes have been allowed to enjoy the benefit of doubt where police fail to act in many cases. Even if police act, it is belated and the accused are let off after being charged with mild offenses. However, communal hatred can be in different ways. Perhaps it may be pertinent to also note that Muslim fundamentalism that has given rise to hatred against the west (perceived as liberal and Christian dominated and pro-Israel) has also been instrumental in birthing Islamic terrorism. In return, Islamic terrorism has led to Islamophobia across the world. The headscarf has been at the centre of controversy and debate in Europe for years. In several countries, courts have been able to impose restrictions on donning religious symbols or garb in the workplace as well as in public spaces. France, for instance, prohibited the wearing of hijabs in state schools in 2004. Then, in 2014, the country’s top court upheld the dismissal of a Muslim daycare worker for wearing a headscarf at a private school where religious neutrality was demanded from all of its employees. In 2016, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the wearing of full-face veils should be prohibited “wherever it is legally possible”. Countries such as Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands have also passed laws that ban full face-covering veils in public places. For many, the hijab, the niqab and the burka are also instruments of oppression for millions of girls and women around the world who are not allowed to make a choice as their religion so dictates. Wearing a hijab may be a fundamental right but the right should also take into account the governing rules and laws.
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