Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: 3 martyrs, including a child, as a result of Israeli occupation forces bombing displaced persons' tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Yedioth Ahronoth: Concern in "Israel" over changes within the US administration in recent days.
Al-Qassam Brigades says its fighters are engaging in fierce clashes with the occupation forces, killing and wounding soldiers east of Jabalia camp.
Israeli media platforms are circulating preliminary reports about a multi-causality ambush in Jabalia camp, Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide
Da Silva: Even the Jewish people do not want this war; it is revenge by a government against the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state
Brazilian President Lula da Silva: What we are seeing is not a war between two armies. [What we have is a] completely professional army that is killing women and children in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: We affirm our readiness to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention
Hamas: We welcome the continued Qatari and Egyptian efforts to end the war waged by the Zionist occupation against our people

Indian court upholds class hijab ban

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 15 Mar 2022 09:18
3 Min Read

An Indian court upholds a ban on wearing the hijab in classes in Karnataka State.

  • x
  • Karnataka ministers said that the girls should respect the court's judgement and rejoin school
    Karnataka ministers said that the girls should respect the court's judgement and rejoin school

In a ruling that could set a precedent in India, an Indian court upheld today a ban on wearing the hijab in classes in the country's southern state of Karnataka.

Six female Muslim students had launched a weeks-long protest in January after being forced to either remove their headscarves or cease attending classes at a government institution in the Udupi region.

Other universities in the state began enforcing the religious prohibitions last week after some Hindu students, backed by extreme rightwing Hindu organizations, argued that if hijabs were allowed in classrooms, saffron shawls should be allowed as well, a chiefly political symbol of Hindu nationalism. 

Muslim students have taken the issue to the state high court, decrying the violation of their right to freedom of religion. The students claim that "religious apartheid" is being implemented in some universities, where women wearing hijabs are allowed to enter but are separated from the rest of the students in separate classrooms.

Read more: Hijab ban, anti-muslim hate in India: Isn’t it apartheid?

 

India has the world's largest Muslim-minority population, with more than 204 million Muslims, and is home to around 11% of the world's Muslim population.

Related News

India acknowledges jet losses in May clash with Pakistan

Pakistan, India near pre-conflict troop levels along border: General

"We are of the considered opinion that wearing of hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice," Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi of the High Court of Karnataka said in the judgment, adding that the Indian government had the power to specify uniform guidelines.

Karnataka had closed its schools and colleges ahead of the verdict, and imposed restrictions on public gatherings in some areas to prevent any trouble. The state is the only one ruled by PM Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party. 

Some Karnataka ministers said that the Muslim girl students who were protesting the ban by staying away from class should respect the judgment and rejoin school.

On the other hand, the decision was widely protested by the Muslim population and politicians. The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, Mehbooba Mufti, described the verdict as "deeply disappointing".

"On one hand we talk about empowering women yet we are denying them the right to a simple choice," she tweeted. "It isn’t just about religion but the freedom to choose."

Karnataka HC’s decision to uphold the Hijab ban is deeply disappointing. On one hand we talk about empowering women yet we are denying them the right to a simple choice. Its isn’t just about religion but the freedom to choose.

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 15, 2022

"The high court order is against individual rights, against fundamental rights and against religious rights," Abdul Majeed, Karnataka chief of the Social Democratic Party of India said. Abdul Majeed stressed he is willing to help the petitioners challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court:

"Muslim women have been wearing the hijab for hundreds of years," he said.

  • Hijab ban
  • Hijab
  • Karnataka
  • India
  • Islamophobia

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Army commanders tour the operations sectors of the Iraqi army Seventh Brigade, in Anbar, Iraq, Sunday, December 29, 2019 (AP)
Politics

Kataib Hezbollah warns US forces against postponing Iraq withdrawal

(@rafaelmgrossi)
Politics

Egypt urges 'Israel' to join NPT, citing regional nuclear imbalance

AP
Politics

US deal proposal allows Iran to enrich Uranium to Low-Level: Reports

screengrab
Politics

Former Biden spox. Matthew Miller says 'Israel' committed war crimes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS