Upset by the Hijab ban ruling by Karnataka High Court, Indian Muslims women are worried that the ruling could set a precedent for the rest of the country.
Amid growing controversy over the hijab ban in India, the High Court of Karnataka turned down the petitions filed by Muslim girls in Udupi, who had sought the right to wear hijab in classrooms and upheld earlier decision of ban on hijab.
In its ruling, the Karnataka High Court stated that wearing the hijab (Muslim headscarf) is not an essential practice in Islam and that freedom of religion under Article 25 of the constitution is subjected to reasonable restrictions.
The KHC bench also said that students cannot object to uniforms that educational institutions have prescribed as it falls under the category of reasonable restrictions.
The verdict has been criticised widely by Muslims, especially Muslim women on social media platforms, who feel that the judgment will further alienate Muslims in India.
Aliya Assadi, a 17-year-old who studies in a Pre-University (PU) college in Udipi and one of the petitioners of the hijab row controversy, feels disheartened by the court’s ruling.
“The verdict is shocking for us as we had high hopes and trust in the judiciary,” she told TRT World, adding that it “has broken us inside”.
Assadi said if the hijab was not an essential part of the Islamic religion, students wouldn’t have struggled for it and compromised their studies.
“As a girl I know how it is going to affect most of [our] education as many of us have no choice but to quit studies then,” she said, adding it is her personal choice to follow her religion.
She said that they are going to fight for it until they get justice.
