School apologises after a group of activists drew the attention of the minister of education
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — A burqa dance performed by six female students in a school in Maharashtra’s Prabhani district has caused widespread consternation in the Muslim community.
A video of the January 31 annual function of Nutan Kanya Prashala has gone viral and sent shockwaves in the community. The dance to the tune of vulgar songs has added to the complexity of the situation.
Oddly, only one of the female participants in the dance segment of the function was Muslim.
The Muslim Adhikar Parishad, a group of social activists, on Wednesday drew the attention of Dadaji Bhuse, Minister of School Education, on the sordid episode. In a letter, the group demanded action against the school management, maintaining that the dance had hurt the religious sensibilities of Muslims.
The group said the school authorities deliberately made Hindu girls wear burqas and dance to obscene songs insulting the religious symbols of the Muslim community without any justification. The act was done to mislead the community.
“The burqa is an important part of the religious identity and culture of Muslim women’s faith and it is generally accepted that only Muslim women wear the burqa in India. Despite this, the concerned school administration has deliberately hurt the religious sentiment of the Muslim community by making the girls wear burqas and dance to obscene songs,” reads the letter.
The group demanded strict action against the school management and the headmaster of the school.
Speaking to Clarion India, Waheed Patel, president of Muslim Adhikar Parishad, said that the school authorities apologised after members of the Muslim community expressed their strong objections to the act.
“There was anger in the community. It did not go well with anyone. Everyone’s sentiments were hurt. We immediately took action on behalf of the youth. Then, they immediately apologised saying they had no intention to hurt the sentiment. They have issued an apology letter,” said Patel.
According to him, the school authorities initially justified the act. When the Muslim group wrote a letter to the minister, then they issued an apology claiming they made the girls wear burqa because they were staging a horror scene at the function. Following the apology, the matter has died down.
“One should not use the religious symbols of any religion. You can’t present the religious symbols in this manner just to entertain people,” said Patel.
“Burqa is a religious identity and culture of the Muslim community. You can’t play with these symbols. We don’t have any objection to their dance and the school function. We had objections to the use of burqas for the horror scene. They could have used any black cloth to depict the scene,” he added.
The act sparked anger as hijab-wearing women are often targeted not only at schools, colleges and universities but also at other institutions in the country.
Recently, Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane has called for a ban on burqas during the upcoming board examinations for classes 10 and 12, claiming concerns over possible malpractices.
In a letter to Bhuse, Rane, notorious for hate speeches targeting Muslims, claimed that allowing female students to wear burqas inside examination halls could facilitate cheating and pose security challenges.
“Students appearing for the 10th and 12th board exams should not be permitted to wear burqa. If necessary, female police officers or female staff should be appointed to conduct checks. These exams are crucial for students’ future and must be conducted transparently, without any scope for malpractices,” he stated.