The Karnataka High Court order upholding the hijab ban has put Muslim students and their familes in a predicament. The petitioners, who had approached the HC, are seeking legal advice on the way forward and several Muslim organisations have announced that they will approach the Supreme Court against the verdict. But for many families, a choice has to be made between their religious practice and education immediately if they want to safeguard their career as it is exam time for students.
Tabassum Begum, whose daughter is studying in Class 11(I PU) in Government PU College in Kalaburagi, is worried that her husband and elders in the community may decide to discontinue her daughter’s education. “My daughter and I fought very hard to get the family to agree to send her to college. She is the first woman in my family to be allowed to attend college. I don’t know how I can convince them to let her remove hijab in classrooms now,” she said. Her daughter says she had hoped to become a teacher and will not mind removing the hijab if that means she can continue her education. But she adds that she would not be able to decide for herself and has to wait for a decision by ‘elders’. Her college had prescribed a uniform but allowed young women to wear a headscarf, if a request was made.
Shoiab Ismail from Haasan district said he will leave the decision of removing hijab in classrooms to his daughter. The decision to wear a hijab everyday was taken by his daughter Shaheena (name changed) on her own accord and now she can decide whether she feels comfortable removing the hijab in college, he said. “Our daughter turned religious when she was 19 and decided to wear a headscarf. She says it makes her feel comfortable. I did not force her to wear it and now I will not force her to remove either. Let her take her own time and decide and after that we will see how she can continue her education. We hope that the SC will give girls like Shaheena the right to choice,” says Ismail. Shoiab Ismail works in an insurance company and has three daughters. The eldest of his daughters had chosen not to wear a headscarf, he said, while the other two daughters have been wearing it for the past two to three years.
In Udupi, the epicentre of pro and anti hijab protests, a parent, speaking to TNM, said that he and his daughter were surprised by the verdict. "We didn't expect the ban would be implemented even in colleges like ours (MGM college) where hijab was previously allowed. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next two days,” he said.
A few other parents like Alam Jahan are waiting for ‘religious leaders’ to decide the further course of action. “We are still confused about what to do. Our community leaders in Chikmagalur will have a meeting and decide. We will abide by their decision,” Alam Jahan said.
One of the student petitioners who had approached the HC, speaking at a press conference today, said that she will not attend classes without hijab and will fight for her rights through the legal route. She added that all six petitioners were of the same opinion.