Malala breaks silence on Karnataka hijab row, says ‘refusing girls inside schools in hijab horrifying’

Amid the current controversy surrounding the uniform code in the educational institutes of Karnataka, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has decided to voice her opinion in the current hijab row in the state, showing her support to Muslim girls who were denied entry into colleges.

Malala posted a statement on Twitter, in which she described the entire ordeal as “horrifying”, saying that it is unfair that girls wearing hijabs are being asked not to attend classes in Karnataka colleges and educational institutes.

While posting the link to a report on the current hijab controversy in Karnataka, Malala Yousafzai said, “Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women.”

In her tweet, she also quoted a report of where a Muslim student had been denied entry inside a college, and that they were being forced to choose between their studies and their hijab. The current controversy in Karnataka has also prompted a debate about religious freedom and unity among students in the state.

Malala Yousafzai has been a vocal advocate for education and women’s empowerment throughout her tenure as an activist. In her tweet regarding the Karnataka hijab debate, she further urged the Indian leaders to stop the marginalization of Muslim women.

The activist’s tweet sparked a lot of reactions from political leaders in India, some of which criticized her stand on the uniform code in Karnataka. BJP leader Priti Gandhi said, “Instead of advising your Muslim sisters to let go of regressive beliefs and spread their wings to fly, you want to push them into darkness.”

Further, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, while replying to Malala, said, “Stange! Malala never spoke on other significant issues like forced conversion of minor Hindu Sikh girls in Pakistan but today she is tweeting without verifying facts!”

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, has decided to shut down the high schools and colleges in the state to maintain the harmony between students and teachers, and also to make sure that the tensions do not escalate.