US Office Of International Religious Freedom Criticises Karnataka Over Hijab Row

The US Office of International Religious Freedom’s (IRF) Ambassador at Large, Rashad Hussain has tweeted that the hijab ban in schools violates religious freedom. 

Protests against Hijab ban | File Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: As the Karnataka hijab row has intensified, a United States body that monitors and reports on religious freedom has criticised the move by the state government to ban hijab on campus.

The US Office of International Religious Freedom’s (IRF) Ambassador at Large, Rashad Hussain has tweeted that the hijab ban in schools violates religious freedom. 

“Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine the permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls,” the official handle of IRF, Ambassador at Large tweeted.

Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls.

— Amb. at Large for International Religious Freedom (@IRF_Ambassador) February 11, 2022

Hussain serves as principal advisor to the Secretary and advisor to the President on religious freedom conditions and policy. 

The comment from Hussain came after the Karnataka government’s decision to keep the educational institutions shut till the HC completes a hearing of the petitions filed regarding the hijab ban. The Karnataka HC said that it will resume hearing the petitions on Monday.

Until the hearing is completed, the court has ordered that no religious attire whether it be hijab or saffron shawl will be allowed in the educational institutions.

The state has been in turmoil in the last few days after the protest that began from one government college spread to many others. After a pre-University college in Udupi stopped hijab-clad female students from entering the class, the students protested in the college.

The protest saw a backlash from other students who started coming to the college with saffron shawls leading to clashes among students.  The police even had to use teargas to disperse the clashing students.