"Refusing To Let Girls Go To School...": Malala Yousafzai On Hijab Row
NDTV
"Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying," Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai tweeted
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has weighed in on the controversy over Muslim students alleging that they were not allowed to enter campuses and classrooms wearing the hijab in Karnataka. The girls' education activist tweeted that "refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying." "College is forcing us to choose between studies and the hijab".Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists - for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women. https://t.co/UGfuLWAR8I
The hijab protests began last month at the Government Girls PU College in Karnataka's Udupi when six students alleged that they had been barred from classes for insisting on wearing the headscarf. Right-wing groups in Udupi and Chikkamagaluru objected to Muslim girls wearing the hijab to class.
Soon, the controversy spilled beyond the borders of Karnataka and surfaced in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry. A minister in Madhya Pradesh ruled in favour of "discipline" and a "uniform dress code". In Puducherry, the authorities have asked the head of a government school to investigate allegations of a teacher objecting to headscarves in class.
Ms Yousafzai, taking note of the developments, tweeted, "Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists - for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women."
