Harram Akhtar

Email address harramakhtarraja102@gmail.com

Article Topic:

“Gender and Minorities in India: Perspectives from the Karnataka Hijab incident”

Gender inequality is a worldwide issue but with the passage of the time the concept of women
empowerment is raising which results in overcoming gender inequality in many countries.
Minorities a

In 1947 the Sub Continent was divided into two countries on the basis of religion, culture,
tradition, race and other factors which were India and Pakistan. India is a Hindu majority country
where as Pakistan is a Muslim majority country. Both the religions i.e. Hinduism and Islam are
different from each other on every basis due to many differences were developed among them. It
has been noticed that even before the separation of the Sub Continent the Hindu religion never
gave respect to Women. Men were always superior to women, in Hindu culture it is obvious that
if a girl get marry she will not leave her husband’s house until and unless she dies before her
husband and if her husband dies before she would be burnt alive with her late husband. This was
the gender inequality in India. Now let’s see their behavior with minorities. Before the time of
partition Hindus exploited Muslims in many ways they didn’t allowed Muslims to practice their
religion peacefully. They also stopped Muslims to get good education and jobs. After Hindu,
Islam is the 2nd largest religion being practiced in India but the Muslims since the time of
partition till now haven’t be living India peacefully they are being tortured or irritated by the
majority of the country in various ways. We can identify the struggle of Indian Muslims in the
recent incident of Karnataka Hijab incident. On 1 st January, 2022 at a college in Udupi 6 female
students claim that they weren’t allowed to enter in the institution on wearing Hijab. This was
big shock for them because they cannot put of their Hijab and also cannot sacrifice their
education as well. Being a Muslim and living in such strict countries isn’t east but those students
didn’t give up and protested against this decision. A girl named Muskaam stood up for this
concern as well she alone step up and spread awareness and now all the Muslim Ummmah is
supporting her. But no one can take action because they cannot interfere in the interstate matters.
Questions arrives here is that Hijab is good or bad? And why only Muslims face religious
problems? Wearing Hijab is a part of Islamic culture and tradition and the constitution of India
also states that every religion has rights to practice their religion peacefully in the country. There
are nothing such statements that Muslims aren’t allowed to do so which shows that Muslims can
also practice and promote their religion as well. Some believes that the action on Hijab ban is a
good decision because this might be a sigh of symbol of patriotic or might be Islamic community
force. There are a lot of queries about this issue. Sikh can wear their pugs but Muslims cannot
wear Hijab. Isn’t this inequality among the religions?

It is observed that during the protest by the Hijab students numerous boys wearing same orange
shawls started to stand against them. Logic stands here that how all those boys could have same
shawls and why they all started this? There might be someone who forces them to do so. In India
few years back Hindus also attacked on Churches as well which show that Hindus are afraid of
the minorities or they might show themselves superior to them. One more reason behind the
minorities and gender matters the government is tiring the people in religious and other issues
that might engage them so that the people wouldn’t think about or take action on the situation of
the country like corruption, goods rate, poverty and other issues. Maybe the government might
be afraid that if Muslims get up rise in the country they would be separated again like the Sub
Continent. Keeping all the India and Pakistan issues aside, the Muslims of India are a part of
India and it is the responsibility of the Indian courts and governments to give them justice, peace
and freedom. No one from outside would come and settle this dispute it’s the responsibility of
the state to solve this issue.

Before the government of Narendra Modi the India’s situation was quite better than this. But
now the country is moving towards hard secularism. Most of the restrictions are for the Muslims
but the government doesn’t know that before Muslims these people are the citizens of India and
it’s the responsibility of the state to give them their rights.

Since 1900s after the colonial rule of Bristish in the Sub Continet till now Hindus and Muslims
doesn’t have good relations. And now this religious tolerence is being disappering in India, they
cannot tolarate other religions especially Muslims to pratice with freedom. Hindus don’t give
respect to their women and at the same time when the see that mulim women are beig educated
and are promoting the concept of women empowerment they cannot tolarate and promote this
concept that’s why the Indian Government and the college staff engage them in this hijab
inccident. So, that the people get busy in this and don’t focus on women empowerment, poverty,
pollution and other issues that should be seen and need to take actions. After the government of
Modi in India the country is facing various problems one of which is religion, unlike China the
state of India is also promoting the theory of secularism. Church (religion) and State should be
get separate from eachother , Church shouldnot interfare in the State affairs. But world is facing
more problems and this religious issues should be kept asight and people should focs on those
issues instead of these. Gender and minorities issues are used to engage citizens so that they
cannot focus on the governent and other issues.