School Abaya 'Ban' Sparks Row in Kashmir
The Bhartiya Janata Party and other regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir have found themselves united in backing female school students opposing their school's reported demands to remove their Muslim robe.
SputnikFemale students at Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar have alleged they had been asked to remove their Abaya before entering classes.
The Abaya is a loose robe-like dress worn by Muslim women over garments, especially in Arab and South Asian countries.
Although the school refuted the allegations, political parties from all fronts lent their support to the female students who gathered outside the school for a demonstration on Thursday.
As a result, the school administration issued a statement on Thursday, apologizing for hurting students' sentiments.
Jeans OK, But Not Abaya
Speaking to the media, Farhana Manzoor - who studies at the Vishwa Bharti Higher Secondary School in Rainawari locality - said: “On Wednesday we were told to come to school without Abayas. When I asked why, they told us wearing [the] Abaya is not right and that other students also start wearing Abaya when I wear it."
“To them [school authorities], if we wear jeans to school that is fine but wearing the Abaya is a bad thing. The principal told us that if you want to wear Abaya we should go to a Darsgah [Islamic seminary],” she added. “We were told that if you want to progress, leave the Abaya. Who said that we can’t study with an Abaya? We are school toppers.”
However, another student, who didn’t reveal her name, said she had been studying in the school for four years and had never been asked to remove her Abaya. However, “We told the school that we are not comfortable being around boys without the Abaya but we were told that our comfort is not the concern of the school."
Another student of the 12th class asked, “Why can’t the Abaya be incorporated as part of school uniform for girls who want to wear them?"
We Won’t Decide Anyone’s Dress, Politicians Say
School principal Memrooz Shafi refuted the allegations on Thursday, issuing a statement arguing that the claims are baseless and misrepresented.
“It is clarified that no ban has been imposed by the school principal or the management on wearing the Abaya but it was politely conveyed to the students to wear school uniform underneath the Abayas,” the statement said.
“They wear Abayas of different colors. I told the girls cordially they could change their clothes in the school. I don’t understand the outrage," he said.
“Today’s conversation with the students and the parents has been misrepresented and, in any case, if it has hurt the sentiments of the students or the parents, I unconditionally apologize for the same,” the statement further said.
The principal’s clarification however failed to quell the political outcry in Kashmir.
Chief spokesperson of the region’s National Conference Party, Tanvir Sadiq, tweeted: “Wearing a Hijab should be a personal choice, and there should be no interference in matters of religious attire. It is unfortunate to witness such incidents in a Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir. We strongly oppose this and urge for immediate corrective action."
Likewise, Mohit Bhan of the Peoples Democratic Party warned of the school directions flaring communal tensions and asked whether the school administration wanted a repeat of incidents in Karnataka state, where a major controversy erupted after Muslim students were barred from wearing the Hijab by the government.
The regional party's principal rival - the Bhartiya Janata Party - also supported the female students.
“We won’t decide anyone’s dress. There should be complete independence. We can’t force anyone to wear what he or she does not like. Students should wear what they want,” senior BJP member and state General Secretary Ashok Kaul told reporters in Srinagar.