17,000 Muslim students forced to skip exams following hijab ban in Karnataka
Around 17,000 Muslim students were forced to skip their exams following the Karnataka High Court’s unconstitutional ban on hijabs in schools, said senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi while appearing in the Supreme Court.
“The Karnataka Education Act promotes unity in diversity. However, the [court order] is insensitive and blocks the Constitution of India,” Ahmadi said.
“This is not an issue where you say we have a disciplinary code, and you follow it… The [court order] is against the hijab. It targets Muslims and Muslim women particularly and violates Articles 14 and 15 [of the Constitution. This targeting without any sensitivity is contrary to law and the constitution,” senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan submitted.
Rather than urgently addressing the hijab ban when it was first banned, the Supreme Court delayed hearing challenges against the court order for several months, resulting in thousands of Muslim women and girls being forced to choose between their education and essential clothing.
Hindu extremist group files plea for removal of another historic mosque
Leaders of the Hindu supremacist group Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) have filed a plea for the removal of yet another historical mosque in Uttar Pradesh state. Dinesh Sharma, national treasurer of the ABHM, has claimed that the Meena Masjid in Mathura city was built on the remains of a temple.
“We have now sought removal of the construction raised in the name of Meena Masjid,” Sharma said.
Sharma had previously filed another petition seeking the demolition of the Shahi Idgah Mosque, also located in Mathura, which Hindu extremists have been targeting for years with calls for its demolition.
Meena Masjid joins a growing list of Muslim structures being targeted by Hindu supremacists, including Shahi Idgah, Gyanvapi mosque, Delhi’s Qutub Minar monument, and the Taj Mahal.
Hindu supremacist politician calls for removal of mosques located near temples
Hindu supremacist politician and Uttar Pradesh fisheries minister Sanjay Nishad has called for removing mosques near temples, falsely claiming that “a religious frenzy has spread in India” due to Muslims.
Nishad made these hateful comments while speaking to reporters, claiming that madrassas have been “found to have been connected with terrorism” and that “terrorists have been caught from there a number of times.”
He further blamed Muslim religious leaders for poverty, lack of education among children, and for “triggering riots,” despite the fact that Uttar Pradesh’s Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has increasingly emboldened Hindu hate groups and violence against minorities.
