#hijabrow protests have spread all over India as more women stand up for their rights. The confrontation has begun to escalate the religious divide that has been simmering for some time. It began in January when a group of girls protested outside their school after they were denied entry. The girls petitioned the state’s top court to lift the ban, prompting rival protests from other students.

Activists say that this is an example of the current trend in India. They have seen a crackdown on India’s minority Muslim population. This was since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP came to power nearly eight years ago. They argue that the Indian constitution gave religious freedom to everyone. Not allowing Muslim women to wear hijab is denying them their rights.

“This is a massive attempt by the BJP to homogenize Indian culture, to make it a Hindu-only state,” said Muslim activist Afreen Fatima. “Muslim women are isolated in India. And the situation is getting worse every day.”

The protests have spread to other cities of Karnataka and even Delhi. Students took to the streets holding placards and shouting slogans to express their anger at the ban. Pretests have also begun in Kolkata and Hyderabad.

BJP

BJP-ruled Karnataka ordered a three-day closure of all high schools and colleges amid the growing tensions. On Wednesday authorities in the state’s capital, Bengaluru banned protests outside schools for two weeks.

Karnataka’s education minister B.C. Nagesh said he supported banning the hijab in educational institutions. He cited the state’s mandate on religious attire. “Government is very firm that the school is not a platform to practice dharma (religion),” he said.

According to lawyer Mohammed Tahir, Karnataka is a “hotbed” of the Hindutva. An ideology supported by many right-wing groups, which seeks to make India the land of the Hindus. He also said that religious tension in the state will likely increase ahead of pivotal state elections next year.

The #hijabrow protests continue to spread across the country that is mostly populated by Hindus. What began as a simple protest for uniforms has now escalated into a religious divide. We should take into consideration that educational institutions want to encourage equality. Schools have stated that they do not want to encourage inequality be it due to caste, social status, or religion. This is why they stand firm on their decision not to allow changes to their uniform.

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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.

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