Hijab Row: Kuwait’s powerful parliamentarians demand ban on BJP members into their country
Srinagar: In the wake of the ban imposed by the Government of India (GoI) prohibiting Muslim students to wear Hijab in educational institutes in Karnataka, parliamentarians in Kuwait have urged their government to impose an immediate ban on the entry of the members of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into the South Asian country.
Kuwaiti lawyer and rights activist Majbal Al-Sharika have shared a copy of the letter written by the parliament to the government on Twitter.
Domestic actions have international repercussions. I hear from friends across the Gulf of their dismay at rising Islamophobia in India &the PM’s unwillingness to condemn it, let alone act decisively against it. “We like India.But don’t make it so hard for us to be your friends”. https://t.co/Bj9es8fbfS
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 18, 2022
He wrote, “we can’t sit back and watch Muslim girls being publicly persecuted they said. Time for the Ummah to unite.”
The development comes after Indian MP Shashi Tharoor shared the same tweet while expressing his concern over “Islamophobia” in India.
The Hijab row started a month ago when Muslim students were denied entry into a pre-university government college in Karnataka’s Udupi town.
The saffron scarf-wearing students also launched counter-protests, violence at one college forced the police to fire teargas to control the flare-up.
Also Read: Hijab is not a choice but an obligation in Islam: Zaira Wasim
The students said the hijab was an integral part of their religion and as such affirmed their right to practice their faith.
The row soon made its way into other parts of northern Karnataka where right-wing students, as well as Muslim women (supported by ambedkarite and student activists), protested against and in favour of the hijab, respectively.
In a viral video shared on February 8, a Muslim student was seen being harassed by a group of Hindutva members.
The student, as seen in the video, arrives at her college on a scooter, and as she walked towards her class after parking her scooter, the Hindutva members begin to mock her hijab by chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
However, the student stopped to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ to counter the slogans raised by the mob against Muslims and Hijab.
Also Read: VIDEO: Ladies offer flowers to hijab-clad students outside Kashmir University
The video was shared by journalist Imran Khan, who wrote, “#KarnatakaHijabRow when a #hijabi student arrives at PES college in #Mandya. She gets heckled by students wearing #saffronshawls chanting #JaiSriRam. She raises her hand says “#AllahuAkbar befor being escorted by college staff. Video courtesy: Digvijaya News. #Karnataka.”
A more expanded and clean feed of the above episode. #KarnatakaHijabRow pic.twitter.com/TIieUQJUWN
— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) February 8, 2022
The student in the video is now being hailed as brave. Journalist Rifat Jawaid tweeted, “Very brave girl indeed. You need guts to take on these terrorists. Hope she remains focused to study and stay away from politics.”
One Twitter user wrote, “My salute this girl she is brave a gladiator.” Another commented, “Harassing a woman is not neither Hinduism nor Nationalism or Patriotism… & saffron don’t Represent Hinduism or Nationalism or Patriotism.”
The social media users had praised the student for standing against the wrong describing her as the “Iron Lady” and the “Icon Lady of Hijab”.
Here are some of the videos related to hijab controversy that went viral across the globe.
Scenes of students at MGM college #Udupi collecting their #saffronturbans allegedly distributed by right wing organisation after their standoff with pro #hijab students today is going viral. #KarnatakaHijabRow #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/4k9awSgSqd
— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) February 8, 2022
Anger spreads to #Kolkata over the #Karnataka #HijabRow. Students raise #AllahuAkbar slogan in solidarity with #Muskan, the college girl from Mandya district who shouted AllahuAkbar to sloganeering protesters yesterday. pic.twitter.com/GmBFPuCtLS
— Tamal Saha (@Tamal0401) February 9, 2022
Kuwaitis held a demonstration near the Indian Embassy in support of Muslim women in India. People, the majority of them women, expressed their rejection and disapproval of the persecution of Muslim women in India and slammed the silence of the international community. #Hijab pic.twitter.com/4hnuSAImID
— Kashmir News Trust༝ (@knewstrust) February 17, 2022
#Mandya dist administration has instructed even the teachers to be not allowed inside campus with #hijab. They should remove the hijab at the gate itself before entering school or college. #KarnatakaHijabRow #HijabControversy #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/bt33RTTmgp
— Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) February 14, 2022
