‘Hijab is Our Right’ Trends on Twitter as Netizens Highlight Plight of Girl Students in Karnataka

Hijab Row: On Thursday, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had said that no one should come to school for practicing their religion, as it is a place where all students should learn together with a feeling of oneness.

Bengaluru: After a college in Karnataka’s Udupi district did not allow students wearing hijab inside the classroom, the fellow students and netizens on Twitter are highlighting the plight of the students who are fighting for their fundamental rights. Soon after the incident on Thursday, the hashtag ‘Hijab is our Right’ has started trending on Twitter with a section of social media emphasizing the harassment of the students. On Thursday, a video of the incident has gone viral on social media which showed the authorities closing the gate of a college for the girl students wearing hijab.

Reacting to the incident, some of the Twitter users said Taliban doesn’t allow girls to go to schools and colleges. “In India, Sanghi Genocide Enablers are preventing Muslim Girls wearing headscarves from entering Schools and Colleges. They are scared of educated Muslim Women. Very scared,” a Twitter user said.

Here’s what the netizens said.

Taliban doesn't allow Girls to go to schools and colleges.
In India, Sanghi Genocide Enablers are preventing Muslim Girls wearing headscarves from entering Schools and Colleges

They are scared of educated Muslim Women. Very scared. #HijabisOurRight

— Dr. Aqsa Shaikh // اقصٰی شیخ (She/Her) (@doctorsaheba) February 4, 2022

https://twitter.com/Iam__Shadab/status/1489461689611427848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1489461689611427848%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2Fnews%2Fbuzz%2Fhijab-is-our-right-trends-on-twitter-as-muslim-students-in-karnataka-continue-protest-4733261.html

Let us all stand for the rights of our sisters …what is the reason of this discrimination..why are they not allowed to enter colleges.. just because they wear hijad this is not a way..#HijabisOurRight#SuspendKundapurPrincipal https://t.co/tDb9I62Hxd

— Tousif Nandehalli (@TNandehalli) February 4, 2022

This is the Kundapura govt college. Yesterday some students backed by Pro Hindu organisations had come to college wearing Saffron shawls & protested against the girls wearing Hijab to college & now it looks like the college has buckled under pressure.

— Deepak Bopanna (@dpkBopanna) February 3, 2022

Hindu groups force boys to wear saffron shawls: On the other hand, some Hindu groups allegedly forced boy students to wear saffron shawls in pre-university college classrooms in Udupi on Friday. The incident came to limelight from the Government Pre-University College in Udupi district’s Byndoor town.

As per the reports, the incident took place after Muslim girls in the college removed their hijabs before entering the campus. However, the principal intervened in the matter to stop Hindu outfits from enforcing a ‘saffron shawl campaign’.

Karnataka Home Minister on hijab row: On Thursday, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had said that children should neither wear hijab nor saffron shawls at schools and he has asked the police to keep watch on religious organisations that are trying to undermine the country’s unity in this regard.

Giving details, he said no one should come to school for practicing their religion, as it is a place where all students should learn together with a feeling of oneness.

“Schools are the place where children belonging to all religions should learn together and imbibe a feeling that we are not different, and all are children of Bharat Mata,” Jnanendra had said.

The remarks come amid a row over wearing ‘hijab’ (headscarf) by some students at a government pre-university college at Udupi. In another incident, Muslim girl students of the Kundapur PU college, who reached the institution wearing the hijab, were stopped at the gate by the principal.

They were informed that they are not allowed to wear the headscarf inside the classrooms and asked to remove it before entering. Yesterday, around 100 Hindu students came to classes wearing saffron shawls as a counter to the girls wearing hijabs.