Is wearing hijab mandated by religion? A scholar of Islam argues that the Quran does not stipulate this form of dress
Controversy in Karnataka erupted in December last year, when six Muslim girls at state-run Udupi Women's Pre-University college were allegedly not allowed to enter the classroom wearing the hijab.
Rudra Gowda, the principal of the college, who allegedly did not allow them to wear hijab in classrooms, said he had done so to ensure uniformity in classrooms.
Later, right-wing groups in Udupi and Chikmagalur objected to hijabs and the protests spread across the state. In retaliation, many students turned up in saffron scarves and Dalit students adopted blue scarves in support of hijab-wearing girls.
The controversy over wearing hijab in Karnataka educational institutions is far from over even as the state government declared a three-day holiday for all educational institutions on Tuesday
www.firstpost.com
Indian students block roads as row over hijab in schools mounts
Local media reported last week that several schools in Karnataka had denied entry to Muslim girls wearing the hijab citing an education ministry order, prompting protests from parents and students.
Hindu students mounted counter-protests, flocking to schools in recent days in support of the ban, forcing the Karnataka state government to shut schools and colleges for three days to ease tensions between the two communities.
Hundreds of students in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on Wednesday chanted slogans and blocked roads in protest of a hijab ban in the southern state of Karnataka, as a row over wearing the head covering in schools intensifies.
www.reuters.com
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