New Delhi: Reacting to the video statement issued by Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al Zawahiri on the hijab controversy, Mohammed Hussain, father of Muskan Khan, the girl who was praised in the video, said that he does not know who Zawahiri is and why he is involved in the issues of this country.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Mohammed said, “We do not know who he is and why he is involved in an issue of my country… I don’t even know who he is and it is wrong to take my daughter’s name. I am happy in my country. We do not need them (Al Qaeda) to speak about our country’s issues. They are just spoiling our peace.”
Mohammed, who is observing Roza during the month of Ramzan, further said, “I was born in Mandya. We have been living here like brothers. The incident should not have happened and now we are not being allowed to live a peaceful life. The government should probe the matter and see who is involved in creating disharmony in society.”
Mohammed said that he had shared Al Zawahiri’s video with his daughter and that she was disturbed too. “She is worried about her education and these things really cause trauma,” he said, adding, “She will continue her studies next year. I will put her where hijab will be allowed.”
Earlier, in the light of the video statement, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Wednesday said that Al-Qaeda getting involved in it proves ‘unseen hands’ behind the row.
“We have been saying this from the beginning, and the High Court too during the hijab verdict had suggested the possibility of some unseen hands behind the hijab row...now it is proved, because Al-Qaeda people are now releasing videos,” news agency PTI quoted the minister as saying.
Al Qaeda leader and Osama Bin Laden’s second-in-command, Ayman al-Zwahiri recently appeared in a new video where he praised student Muskaan Khan for standing in defence of the headscarf and chanting 'Allah-hu-Akbar'. In a nine-minute video released by Al Qaeda’s official media wing, As-Sahab Media, al-Zawahiri denounced “enemies of Islam” referring to the Hijab controversy that started in Karnataka.
Notably, Muskaan Khan, a second-year B.Com student in Mandya, was heckled at the peak of the controversy in February, by a group of students wearing saffron shawl, for entering the college with hijab.
As the students shouted "Jai Shri Ram", Muskaan retorted by shouting "Allah-hu-Akbar." Following this, the college authorities intervened and brought the situation under control.