HYDERABAD, India January 26 : The Hyderabadi women expressed solidarity with the Muslim girl students of the Udipi college of southern Indian sate Karnatka 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 Udupi college in Karnataka state for barring Muslim girl students wearing Hijab from attending classes.“We strongly condemn the policies and practices of rightwing 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 Hyderabad city.
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 them 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 rightwing Hindutva forces has created an atmosphere of hate and communal disharmony. In some states they are targeting Muslim girls and women to meet their objective, they added.
They made an appeal to the 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.While on the one had the Government claims to have brought reforms in Muslim community by enacting a law on triple talaq, on the other denying Muslim girls their right to study in a government college for wearing hijab, they said pointing out the contrast.
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 to spread hatred against Muslims.