New Delhi: Senior leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday collectively rebuked All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, accusing him of engaging in vote-bank politics and injecting a communal dimension into discussions surrounding education and the hijab issue.
Owaisi had sparked controversy by vehemently criticizing the Allahabad High Court's recent ruling. The court had dismissed a petition from a minor student in Prayagraj seeking permission to wear a hijab alongside her prescribed school uniform. Addressing a large Jalsa-e-Rahmatul-lil-Alameen gathering at the AIMIM headquarters in Darussalam on Tuesday, he declared, 'I disagree with this High Court judgment; I do not concur with it… Today's verdict violates Articles 25 and 19 of the Indian Constitution. Who are you to decide what is essential to Islam? Girls are wearing hijab on their heads, not on their minds. It is an attack on Islam.'
Responding to these remarks, BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana stated that Islamic teachings emphasize respecting and adhering to the rules of the country one resides in. Khatana told IANS, 'Owaisi indulges in his own brand of vote-bank politics. Islam teaches that in whichever country you live, we should adapt to and respect its norms, laws, and identification regulations, and not create obstacles in their way.' Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC clarified that while there is no opposition to wearing a hijab, Muslim women are not mandated to wear it. 'Personally, we're not against wearing the hijab, but nowhere has it been mentioned that women in Islam must wear the hijab,' Shaina NC informed IANS. She further contended, 'Asaduddin Owaisi obviously has his own agenda of vote bank politics. He can continue to argue till doomsday, but uniform discipline and equality represent secularism. When you have uniform instilled discipline, equality amongst children, it projects that the institutional identity is maintained.' BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also condemned Owaisi's comments, attributing a 'communal flavour' to the education debate. Naqvi, speaking to IANS, asserted, 'Some people are trying to lock up the education and progress of Muslim girls in a Taliban-like manner. And in the name of that, sometimes they try to create communal confusion over the hijab, and sometimes they try to add a communal flavour to their education and progress.' He added, 'The holy scripture of our country, the system of our country, runs according to the Constitution. The hijab is not banned in our country; many countries have imposed a ban on it, but it is not banned here. However, every institution has its own discipline and dress code, and everyone should respect that.'
The Allahabad High Court, in its Tuesday observation, noted that the petitioner failed to provide any religious scripture or other evidence proving that wearing a scarf constituted an 'essential' part of her faith, without which her religion would be adversely affected. The court also highlighted photographic evidence showing other students from the same religious community attending the school without wearing scarves.
Image for illustration purposes only
đź“° Source: Mangalorean News