Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai voiced out her support for teens fighting for their rights. Six teenagers have been protesting for their right to be allowed to wear hijab in class. The ban was described by Malala as “horrifying”.
The report is has gained national headlines as religious tensions in the area increased. The schools are currently closed for about 3 days as a result. The petition has also reached the supreme court. The dispute states that wearing a hijab is a fundamental right to religion guaranteed by the constitution.
Malala Yousafzai was 15 when she survived an attack by the Taliban. She was in Pakistan speaking for the right of women to be educated. She called on Indian leaders to “stop the marginalization of Muslim women”. “Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying,” the activist tweeted. “Objectification of women persists – for wearing less or more.”
The teenage girls were banned by the management of their government-run pre-university college to wear hijab in class. New videos of other colleges in Karnataka state show college gates being shut on a group of young hijab-clad women. There were also Hindu hardliners who protested in support of the ban.
The state’s chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai, closed schools for three days, appealing for “all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony”.
According to the media, the clash between both sides has caused unrest in the state. It has left a number of people injured.