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Without hijab rapes happen: Congress MLA

Amid the ongoing hijab controversy, Karnataka Congress leader Zameer Ahmed on Sunday said hijab means “parda” in Islam and ‘women get raped when they don’t wear hijab. Ahmed said, “Hijab means ‘parda’ in Islam. Girls, when they grow up, should cover their faces with veils to hide their beauty. I think that India has the […]

Amid the ongoing hijab controversy, Karnataka Congress leader Zameer Ahmed on Sunday said hijab means “parda” in Islam and ‘women get raped when they don’t wear hijab.

Ahmed said, “Hijab means ‘parda’ in Islam. Girls, when they grow up, should cover their faces with veils to hide their beauty. I think that India has the highest number of rape cases in the world. What is the reason? The reason is that they don’t cover their face. Wearing a hijab is not compulsory but this has been in practice for years.” The Congress leader was speaking in the context of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan saying that the practice of hijab is not written in the Quran.

Meanwhile, Udupi BJP MLA Raghupathi Bhat, who held a meeting with parents of school students and various political leaders at the taluq office in Udupi, demanded National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe. “I have demanded the NIA probe as it is an international conspiracy. No Muslim country is against us except Pakistan. Hijab can’t be banned in Udupi. It is their religious right but in schools, the uniform should be followed,” said Bhat.

Also on Sunday, Raghupathi Bhat held a meeting with parents of school students and various political leaders at the taluq office in Udupi. Karnataka Police, PU College Development Committee vice president Yashpal Suvarna, president of Udupi City Municipal Council and BJP leader Sumitra Nayak along with others were present at the meeting. The hijab protests in Karnataka began in January when some students of Government Girls PU college in the Udupi district alleged that they had been barred from attending classes. During the protests, some students claimed they were denied entry into the college for wearing hijab. Following this incident, students of different colleges arrived at Shanteshwar Education Trust in Vijayapura wearing saffron stoles. The situation was the same in several colleges in the Udupi district.

The pre-University education board had released a circular stating that students can wear only the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court also appealed to the student community and the public at large to maintain peace and tranquillity while hearing various pleas challenging a ban on hijab in the state.

The Karnataka High Court on Friday uploaded the interim order passed in the petitions challenging the Hijab ban in colleges in the state. The hearing of the petitions will continue on 14 February.

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah said that radical elements are attacking a particular religion in an attempt to win polls by dividing people on communal lines. Speaking to reporters in Pulwama, he said, “Everyone has the right to wear and eat as s/he wishes and is free to practise his/her religious beliefs. There are some radical elements who are attacking a religion in an attempt to win polls by dividing people on communal lines.”

Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment of India Ramdas Athawale said, “My suggestion is that religion should not be taken to schools.”

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