'Hijab' is our crown: Muslim women

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, February 12

Amid Karnataka ‘hijab’ row, a large number of Muslim women came out on roads supporting the ‘hijab’. They took out a ‘hijab march’ in the city on Saturday, demanding protection of their ‘right to wear hijab’.

Opposing the ban on wearing ‘hijab’ in Karnataka’s educational institutes, Muslim women here said, “Hijab is our right, freedom and identity.” They said the ‘hijab’ is their choice and crown.

They criticised the recent incident at a Karnataka college wherein a ‘hijab’-clad student was heckled by young men wearing saffron scarves.

With raising slogans of ‘Allah hu Akbar’, the Muslim women, including students, carried out the ‘hijab march’ from Namdhari Shaheedi Samarak and it passed through Jama Masjid and other areas. The women were carrying placards in their hands, supporting ‘hijab’.

They also raised slogans in support of communal harmony. Meanwhile, hundreds of Muslim men had also gathered there in their support.

Talking about the ‘hijab’-clad girl who had raised slogans of ‘Allah hu Akbar’ when she was heckled by a group of young men in a Karnataka college recently, Shahi Imam of Punjab Maulana Muhammad Usman Ludhianvi said the daughters and brothers from Punjab and Ludhiana have come together here today to salute their brave sister Muskaan, who had shown courage in front of dozens of ‘goons’. He said the brave girl has given more encouragement to daughters all over the world.

Giving a message to those who do politics in the name of religion, Shahi Imam said, “We will not allow anyone to rob our religious freedom from us.”

The Shahi Imam said, “The Constitution of our country gives freedom to all to practice their religion. Muslim girls have been studying in the country for centuries wearing burqa or hijab. Then all of a sudden what happened today is nothing but cheap politics.”

He said some persons want to separate the people of the country in the name of religion and stay in power forever but this is never going to happen in India as the people of all religions have been living together by maintaining brotherhood here for centuries. As the communal forces try to spread hatred, the democracy gets stronger, he added.

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