Karnataka HC order on hijab will provide legitimacy to Hindu supremacists: NAPM

India's premier civil society network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), "saluting" Muslim women for showing courage by resisting the "apartheid" attitude of the Hindu supremacist attempts to deprive them of access to education, has insisted that the state must "uphold" the Constitutional right to education, faith and non-discrimination.
Asking the authorities to initiate strict action against the the saffron brigade seeking to create an atmosphere of Islamophobia and majoritarian violence, in a statement, NAPM said, "The ban on hijabs in classes, the impunity of a saffron-scarf clad mob of men targeting a woman based on her attire, are only the latest instances in a long line of state-supported violations of the agency and autonomy of women."
Pointing out that the saffron "violence" falls in line with the "deplorable attempt to silence vocal Muslim women through Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals apps, and leave no doubt about the growing culture of intolerance and apartheid, NAPM criticised the Karnataka High Court order which seeks to prohibit all religious attires in educational institutions.
"Instead of immediately upholding the constitutional rights of the aggrieved women students, we are appalled to note that a three judge bench, while ordering reopening of educational institutions, has refrained all students, 'regardless of their religion or faith, from wearing saffron shawls (bhagwa), scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like within the classroom, until further orders'."
"This order has rightly faced immense critique from various quarters, as it flies in the face of the fundamental rights of the wronged Muslim women and shifts the onus onto them, from the right-wing groups", NAPM said.
It apprehends, "We fear that in a supposed attempt to 'maintain peace', the interim order provides legitimacy to the demands of Hindutva organisations, effectively violating the rights of many more Muslim women students in educational institutions across the State. This is a totally unhealthy precedent and needs to be immediately rectified by the Court."
NAPM underlined, "An interim order like this will in fact ensure that the protesting students cannot enter the class till final orders of the Court, which is a gross miscarriage of justice. It is therefore essential that the High Court urgently directs all institutions to maintain the status quo prior to January 1, 2022, until the issue is settled."
In a separate statement, the civil rights group, Humanism Project, has taken strong objection to the Karnataka Home Minister ordering an investigation into the phone records of hijab-wearing Muslim women, especially “probe their links” with “terrorism groups”.
It said, "Until recently, Muslims were being criminalised and accused of 'terrorism' and 'conspiracy' for protesting a discriminatory citizenship law. Now, Muslim women wearing the hijab are being targeted, that too in a country where women of many Hindu and Sikh communities cover their heads in much the same way, for much the same reasons."

Harassment of Muslim girls jeopardising Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao: IIM-B faculty

Senior faculty of the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) -- Prof Ritwik Banerjee, Prof Deepak Malghan, Prof Dalhia Mani, Prof Prateek Raj and Prof Hema Swaminathan -- have represented to Rekha Sharma, chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW) urging her to exercise her powers and "urgently take suo moto cognizance of reports of intimidation of Muslim women students based on religious attire."
Referring to the High Court of Karnataka, which is currently considering whether public institutions can deny entry to women wearing hijabs, in their petition the IIM-B faculty say, "The continuing harassment of Muslim women students in Karnataka... could jeopardise their safety and dignity."
Pointing out that "women across all religions face patriarchal restrictions of one kind or the other", and one "cannot condone such practices and we must work with men, women, and religious leaders to bring about change", it, however, insists, "But to single out one religious practice is not acceptable."
The petition says, "As you must be aware, evidence globally and from India shows that education is the most effective tool for women’s empowerment and broader social development."
Apprehending that "the atmosphere of fear and intimidation will make parents hesitate to send daughters to schools and colleges", the petitioners believe, "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao will be an abject failure, not just for Muslim girls, but for girls across all communities. Failure of law and rule of intimidation affects everyone."
The petition quotes the NCW mission, which states, “To strive towards enabling women to achieve equality and equal participation in all spheres of life by securing her due rights and entitlements through suitable policy formulation, legislative measures, effective enforcement of laws, implementation of schemes/policies and devising strategies for solution of specific problems/situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women.”