As a developing nation, we have come long way, our culture gradually getting mature and growing with us but incidents like While the ‘hijab vs saffron scarf’ row in  Karnataka, riots, lynching in the name of religion really taught us that we still have a very very long way to go.

Article 19(1) in The Constitution Of India 1949 states that “all citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression”. It’s about protecting the constitutionally guaranteed rights of minorities, the fundamental right to freedom of every citizen in the country. They should be able to do whatever they want in whichever clothes they deem fit. Hijab, Niqab, Burqa, Pagdi, Kirpan, Tilak, Bindi, saree, salwar – teach your children to respect all of them as they are ALL a part of India’s reality, all part of our social fabric.

My two cents on the ongoing hijab controversy 

1. Why are people so against hijab? The first reason could be uniformity in schools. No religious display should be allowed in school. All are equal and should wear the same uniforms with no exceptions allowed. But if we are taking this path, shouldn’t we ban everything religious? I studied in a government school. We celebrated Hindu festivals, inaugurations or welcome ceremonies were done the Hindu way. Our prayer song was in Sanskrit. We had Ramayana and Mahabharat in our syllabus. And many things were specific to the Hindu culture. Are we going to ban all those things too? Because if wearing hijab to a place of education is wrong, then wearing turban is also wrong, then all the Hindu traditions followed at schools is also wrong.

2. Coming to the second reason, forcing women to wear hijab is patriarchal. Okay. But what is it that people want to achieve over this ban. Some of these young girls wear it out of their own will, some are forced. The parents will pull their daughters out of schools/ colleges over this. These girls will end up getting married. What are the girls benefiting from? We can’t change the mentality of the parents, but if the girl is educated, she may not enforce the same on her daughter. We should be giving these women a chance to rise in society. Change doesn’t come overnight. If you think, banning hijab will change the thinking of those Muslim parents then you are wrong. I am a feminist but I know it for a fact that my outrage over their hijab will not do them any good. I understand where these people are coming from, i understand why some Muslim women who never wore hijab are wearing it now. It is to stand in solidarity with the rest. No religion is without fault, Islam certainly isn’t.

One of the examples or should I say victim of this Patriarchal Hijab is Dorsa Derakhshani, A female chess champion from Iran has joined the United States Chess Federation, months after learning that she was officially barred from playing for her homeland because she refused to wear a hijab. 

In conclusion

Stop bashing people for their beliefs. It is hard to throw these away when they are so interwoven in our lives. The girls in the controversy have every right to practice their religion just like you and me. Let’s be better humans and not fall into this propaganda hellhole.

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