India says 'motivated comments' on hijab ban 'not welcome'

Hijab bans 'violate religious freedom', says US official

India's Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said "motivated comments" on New Delhi's internal matters are "not welcome" as the country faces criticism over banning hijab in colleges and schools of a southern state. 

The spokesperson of the ministry, Arindam Bagchi, said the "matter regarding dress codes in some educational institutions in the state of Karnataka is under judicial examination by the Honourable High Court of Karnataka. Our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as our democratic ethos and polity, are the context in which issues are considered and resolved".

Our response to media queries on India’s reaction to comments by some countries on dress code in some educational institutions in Karnataka:https://t.co/Mrqa0M8fVr pic.twitter.com/pJlGmw82Kp

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) February 12, 2022

Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the "reprehensible act" of banning Muslim students from wearing hijab in the Indian state of Karnataka and summoned Indian Charge d’ Affaires in Islamabad and conveyed to him the government of Pakistan’s grave concern over the incident.

Read: Hijab-clad Muslim student confronts RSS goons in India’s Karnataka

The summon came after students at a government-run high school in the Indian state were told not to wear hijabs last month, an edict that soon spread to other educational institutions in the state. A hijab-clad student was also heckled and jeered at by a mob of Hindutva supporters in Karnataka on Tuesday.

United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain has criticised the hijab ban. He said the Indian state "should not determine permissibility of religious clothing".

Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls.

— Amb. at Large for International Religious Freedom (@IRF_Ambassador) February 11, 2022

The US State Department official added that hijab bans in schools "violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalise women and girls".

On the other hand, the highest court of India has refused to hear the hijab ban plea and has stated that "it will only interfere at an appropriate time".

A girl in the Indian state of Karnataka had approached the apex court after the state's high court on Thursday advised students to avoid wearing "religious garments" until it decides on a case involving hijab restrictions in schools and colleges.

A ban on the Islamic headscarves at schools has prompted an outcry among Muslims in southern India, with large crowds taking to the streets to protest against the restrictions.

The stand-off in Karnataka state has galvanised fears among the minority Muslim community about what they say is increasing persecution under the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In one incident in a video widely shared online, a lone Muslim student wearing the hijab is surrounded by Hindu male youths shouting religious slogans while trying to enter her school in Karnataka.

The government of Karnataka, where 12% of the population is Muslim and which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has said in an order that students should follow dress codes set by schools.