Hijab row: Kerala governor narrates story of woman who refused to wear headscarf
India Today
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said there were instances of women refusing to wear the veil when one traces the history of Islam. His statement comes amid protests over the ban on hijab in Karnataka schools and colleges.
Amid the row over wearing hijab in schools and other educational institutions in Karnataka, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday said there were instances of women refusing to wear the veil when one traces the history of Islam.
He was replying to a question regarding his stand on the ongoing hijab row in the neighbouring state.
Though he did not elaborate his point, Khan narrated the story of a young woman, said to be a relative of the Holy Prophet, to prove his point.
"I will tell you just one quote... A young girl, who was brought up in the household of the Prophet himself... and she was the niece of the wife of the Holy Prophet. She was proverbially beautiful...," he said. "This is what history says... read it," Khan told reporters.
Quoting the story, he said when the woman's husband was the then Governor of Kufa in medieval times, she was chided for not wearing a hijab.
What she said was that God had made her beautiful and the almighty had placed His stamp of beauty on her, the Governor said.
"She said I want people to see my beauty and see the grace of God in my beauty... And be thankful to God... This is how the women of the first generation (of Islam) behaved. That's all I want to say," Khan said.
