Hyderabad, January 26, 2022 (PPI-OT): The Hyderabadi women expressed solidarity with the Muslim girl students of the Udipi College of southern Indian state of Karnataka and made an appeal to the college authorities to allow them to attend classes.
The Muslim girls and women have vehemently denounced the administration of an Udipi college in Karnataka state for barring Muslim girl students wearing Hijab from attending classes. “We strongly condemn the policies and practices of right-wing forces where they are creating a communal and unsafe environment for Muslim minority, especially women,” asserted a group of Muslim women at a joint Press Conference in the Indian city of Hyderabad.
The press conference was organised under the banner of Sharia Committee for Women in coordination with Muslim Girls Association and Muslim Women Association. Those who addressed the press conference included Dr Asma Zehra, Ms Tahniyat Ather, Mrs Bushra Nadeem, Mrs Asma Jabeen, Mrs Zara Khan and Dr Sabera Aijaz.
The Hyderabadi women expressed solidarity with the Muslim girl students of the Udipi College and made an appeal to the college authorities to allow the students to attend classes. They urged the Muslim girls of the college to keep struggling for their democratic rights in a democratic way. Such order is an oppression of minority rights, the women said.
The women at the press conference said, “After the Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai and Clubhouse assault, Muslim women are now facing the discrimination from a Karnataka college administration which is nothing but suppression of minority rights in the country. The Constitution of India guarantees every citizen the right to follow his or her faith. The college’s highhanded behaviour is designed to deprive the Muslim community from education and force them to live like second class Citizens.”
The present government with the help of right-wing Hindutva forces has created an atmosphere of hate and communal disharmony, they said, adding that in some states they are targeting Muslim girls and women to meet their objective.
They made an appeal to the Indian National Commission for Women, Women’s Human Rights Cell in NHRC (National Human Rights Commission), advocates, judges and intellectuals of the country to raise their voices against the communal agenda of the saffron forces. “This anti-Muslim hate campaign is damaging the image of this great nation globally. Many experts are warning regarding genocide of Muslims which is an alarm bell,” they added.
“The National Education Policy (NEP) is focusing on imposition of practices of a particular religion. Under this policy many Muslim students are forced to perform Yoga, Surya Namaskar and other such religious customs in educational institutions. In the name of culture, practices of the majority community are being imposed on minority students, this is nothing but oppression and against the Constitution of India,” they pointed out.
The Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion and choice to all the citizens irrespective of their faith, they asserted. However, they lamented that the mainstream media is continuously spreading hatred against Muslims. They hailed all the chief ministers who have taken measures to ensure justice and equality and protection of rights of minorities and. They requested all the state governments and the New Delhi to take immediate steps to stop this “campaign of hate”.
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