JIH Women’s Wing Secretary Rahamathunnissa made an appeal to the judiciary to expedite the hearing in the Hijab case as it is already affecting many girls and depriving them of their fundamental right to education.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – National Secretary of the Women’s Wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Rahamathunnissa has welcomed Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia’s verdict in the Hijab case being heard by the Supreme Court.
Hailing the position taken by Justice Dhulia that wearing a hijab is a matter of personal choice, the JIH Secretary, in a media statement, said, “We concur with Justice Dhulia’s remarks that the ‘Karnataka High Court took the wrong path’ and that Article 15 is “a matter of choice, nothing more and nothing else’.”
Rahamathunnissa made an earnest appeal to the judiciary to expedite the hearing in the matter “as it is already affecting many girls and depriving them of their fundamental right to attend college and study in the education stream of their choice”. She also appealed to the government of Karnataka to withdraw its controversial order in view of Justice Dhulia’s observations and make an end to the unwarranted controversy.
Rahamathunnissa further said, “The JIH feels it not the job of the courts to decide about essential religious practices of a religion. We are not against the tradition of uniforms in educational institutions. However, publicly funded schools, while deciding the dress code, should maintain neutrality and respect the religious and cultural practices of students, and the dress code should accommodate their religious principles, cultural leanings, and the voices of their conscience.”
If the Karnataka High Court order is upheld, the JIH secretary said it might exclude Muslim women from education which goes against the stated policy of the government to include all communities and social groups in the path of progress and development.
“Education is a crucial national priority. To achieve the goal of education, educational institutions should create a conducive atmosphere where all communities could pursue education without being forced to make any compromise on their faith or conscience,” she observed.
