There is no mention of Hijab in the Quran, says Muslim organisation

Shamshuddin Tamboli, president of the MSM, said that these head and body coverings represented patriarchy and that no religious motifs and practices must be allowed in schools and educational institutions, which must be maintained as secular spaces

MUMBAI Terming burqas and hijabs as regressive and patriarchal, the reformist Muslim organisation Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal (MSM) has said that several educated women and girls were forced to wear them due to conditioning and pressure from the family and community.

However, Pune-based media professional Apsara Aga said it was up to individuals to decide if they wanted to wear the hijab or not and added it was wrong to enforce a choice either way (Stock Pic)

Reacting to the controversy over educational institutions in Karnataka denying entry to hijab-clad students and these girls being heckled by right-wing workers, the Mandal has noted that education and awareness were the only ways to overcome regressive traditions. Virulent opposition by the Hindutva forces and counter-mobilisation by Muslim orthodoxy and a section of the Left, will strengthen the practice rather than help Muslims overcome it.

Shamshuddin Tamboli, president of the MSM, said that these head and body coverings represented patriarchy and that no religious motifs and practices must be allowed in schools and educational institutions, which must be maintained as secular spaces. The Mandal says that hijabs and burqas are not integral to the practice of Islam.

The MSM was launched in 1970 as a Muslim reformist movement by the social reformer-writer Hamid Dalwai. Much before the Narendra Modi-led government’s 2019 legislation to proscribe triple talaq,

“Burqas and hijabs represent a regressive, male-dominated culture… this is being opposed by Hindutva groups, and on the other hand, traditionalist Muslim organisations and some Left-wing groups are supporting the practice. Hence, instead of eradicating this (regressive) practice, these events are strengthening it,” explained Tamboli, adding that Muslims were taking to wearing burqas and hijabs as an act of defiance.

He noted that education and awareness were the ways to triumph over the practice. Many educated women and girls were often compelled to wear burqas and hijabs due to conditioning and pressure from their families, peers or the wider community, Muslim girls could overcome this, but for that, no hindrances must be created in their education, noted Tamboli, while referring to the events that have unfolded in Karnataka.

Tamboli warned against an upsurge of identity-based politics. He said that schools, which were meant to represent values of equality, scientific temper and secularism, be maintained as secular spaces, where no hijabs, burqas or even celebrations of religious festivals and rites like Ganesh utsav and Saraswati pujan were observed.

“The times have changed and we should change our mindset accordingly. Religion should not be a roadblock in development,” he urged.

“This issue has many angles based on religion, politics, gender justice, equality, male dominance and the restrictions imposed on women,” said Samina Pathan, who is completing her PhD on gender, religious beliefs and education among Muslim women from the Savitribai Phule University of Pune. She added that while some women justified wearing these garments on grounds of individual freedom, it was essential for them to consider if they were under the yoke of religion and a male-dominated culture.

However, Pune-based media professional Apsara Aga said it was up to individuals to decide if they wanted to wear the hijab or not and added it was wrong to enforce a choice either way. Pointing to the low penetration of higher education among Muslim women and the high dropout rate, Aga said access to education was important. Some parents insisted on their daughters wearing the hijab while going to class.