Following the Karnataka High Court verdict on the hijab ban, Hiba Sheikh, a hijab-wearing student from Mangalore said she would not go to college without a headscarf and that was her decision.
A student of P. Satisha Pai Government First Grade College, Hiba Sheikh was harassed by her male college mates for wearing hijab on 4 March. She had filed a complaint against the students, who were allegedly affiliated with the Akhil Bhartiya Vishwa Hindu Parishad (ABVP). Later, the students belonging to right-wing organizations filed a counter-complaint against her.
The 18-year-old student who was booked by the Mangaluru police on 7 March, with six other Muslim students, for allegedly abusing, threatening, and attacking a group of right-wing students at the gates of her colleagues had told The Wire that the complainant who filed the FIR was not present at altercation at the college that day.
Sheikh told THG, “Bina hijab ke tou mai college nahi jaungi (I won’t go to college without hijab). For now, we have online classes and exams have been postponed. But even if college reopens, I won’t go to college without a hijab. This is my decision.”
Hiba Sheikh, who wants to be an Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer, said she feels betrayed. “Our justice has been denied. They should’ve given our rights to us. HC said the hijab isn’t an essential part of Islam. But Hijab is an essential part of Islam. We will fight till the end. If the high court has delivered such, don’t expect us to sit quietly. We will fight till the end and take our right.”
Karnataka high court on Tuesday had held that Hijab is not an essential religious practice of Islam and upheld the ban on wearing headscarves in schools and colleges.
“Hijab is not a part of essential religious practices of Islam and thus, is not protected under Article 25 of the Constitution,” the court said.
“Before the verdict came, we were hopeful that the decision would be in our favor. But it didn’t happen,” Sheikh said to THG.
However, she is yet hopeful that “justice would be delivered to them by Supreme Court.”
Meanwhile, the Apex Court on Wednesday refused to hear the petitions challenging the High Court Judgment on hijab, saying it will look into it after holi vacations, not urgently.
“Let us see. Give us time. We will see, we will post the matter. Let us see we will list after vacations,” the bench said.
“I want to say that don’t sit quietly by High Court’s decision,” Sheikh said adding, “fight for your rights till the end. Don’t think your education is only this much because the court said there is a ban on hijab in educational institutions. Don’t ever think such things. Fight for your rights. Because if we sit quietly now then we’ll face a lot of problems in the coming days.”
