Following the high court’s judgment on the hijab row, the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) of India expressed that the ban on hijab within educational institutions is highly problematic and distressing.
In a press statement Tuesday, the SIO said that the judgment overlooks the key issue of access to education and instead includes an “unnecessary, misinformed, and lengthy treatise” on the place of hijab in the Islamic faith.
“The court has also given a particular meaning to uniform and dress code, where the stress is on homogeneity rather than uniformity. The principles of tolerance, balance, and accommodation that are indispensable in a plural, multi-religious, and culturally diverse country like India, have been ignored,” it added.
“We cannot agree with the court’s selective reading of a particular English translation of the Quran while excluding all other interpretations and translations of the Quran, and its reliance on these selective sources to hold that hijab is not an “essential” practice of Islam. In fact, we believe that this case is an illustration of the inherent defects of the Essential Religious Practices doctrine.
The SIO said that the HC decision sets a dangerous precedent in rewarding “rule by mob”.
“When the court draws a false parallel of hijab with saffron shawl, it essentially validates the strategy of Hindutva groups who had started distributing saffron shawls as a political gimmick to intimidate Muslim women students and counter their demand for wearing hijab,” the statement read.
