Hijab verdict: Muslim religious leaders call for Karnataka bandh tomorrow to assert their faith

Muslim religious leaders and Ulemas have called for a peaceful bandh in Karnataka to voice their dissent over the Karnataka High Court judgment declaring that wearing of hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islamic faith.

Congress MLA from Shanthinagar NA Haris told ET that he too attended a meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening to discuss the subject, but the decision to hold the peaceful protest was taken on Wednesday morning. Karnataka's Ameer-E-Shariat Maulana Sagheer Ahmed Rashadi has given the bandh call.

The religious leaders expressed their hurt and have called the community members not to step out of their homes on Thursday and protest peacefully. "The leaders have decided that officer-goers should not attend offices and shops and establishments owned by Muslims will stay shut. There is, of course, no force. They have asked for a voluntary participation," Haris said.




Popular Front of India state president Yasir Hasan announced his organisation's support to the bandh call and requested people to participate in it peacefully.

The Karnataka High Court had on Tuesday ruled that wearing of hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice and upheld the Karnataka government's notification dated February 5, 2022, asking students to wear only such uniforms as prescribed by the government, or their respective school or college managements. Sections of Muslim girls and others saw this as a ban on wearing of hijab to classes.

On Wednesday, a day after the judgment, while some Muslim girls attended classes without hijab, there were also others who boycotted both classes and exams in some colleges across Karnataka. Some students staged a demonstration against the verdict holding placards in front of their Al Ameen College in Bengaluru, and also at other places in the state.