Current affairs

Women get raped because they don't wear Hijab: How this Congress MLA spurred outrage through his remark?

By alagu, 14 February, 2022
Karnataka, BJP, Congress

In the midst of ongoing tensions in Karnataka over a religious slugfest that was sparked by the students from the majority community against wearing hijab at schools, a Karnataka Congress leader and MLA had spurred outrage through his controversial remark that women get raped because they don't wear Hijab. His remark has become the talk of the town and met with staunch criticisms.

Karnataka Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed has on Sunday claimed that India records the highest number of rape cases because women don't wear Hijab around their faces. In a video shared by news agency ANI, Ahmed was heard saying, "The concept of Hijab is to keep girls, when they grow up, behind a purdah (veil) to hide their beauty. Their beauty should not be visible. I think India has the highest number of rape cases in the world and it is because women are not doing purdah." 

"Wearing of Hijab is not compulsory and this has been the practice for years", Ahmed added. He also sought to reinforce the regressive religious system of women forced to wear clothes that cover them from head to toe saying girls need to cover themselves to hide their beauty. His comments had turned heads as they had come when his home state of Karnataka has been hit by waves of turmoil over the practice of wearing a Hijab. 

The religious row has started in January when six girls in Hijabs were denied entry into the Pre-University College in Udupi. When the girl students began protesting against the college's uniform policy, some students have turned up wearing saffron scarves. The wave had spread across several institutions in the state, resulting in the government to shut down the schools and colleges for three days last week. 

Amid the protests that dreadfully showcased a growing divide between the students over religion, activists and educationalists have been slamming the BJP and the Hindutva outfits for their bigotry politics and victimizing students over religion. Recently, several pieces of evidence have come to light that the protests from the students against wearing Hijab were organized by the Hindutva outfits and their anti-Muslim propaganda have been a spoilsport for an equal student community. 

As Congress has been supporting the Muslim girls, the party has said that denying entry for girls is a violation of students' rights. Former Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah has said, "Denying the girls entry inside a college, that too government college is a violation of the students' fundamental rights." 

 

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