Commenting on the controversy around hijab in Karnataka’s educational institutions, the United States (US) has said that hijab bans in schools “violate religious freedom”, and Karnataka should not “determine the permissibility of religious clothing”.
In a tweet, Rashad Hussain, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said, “Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one’s religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine the permissibility of religious clothing.” He added, “Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls (sic).”
The US comment came on the day that US secretary of State Antony J Blinken met his Indian counterpart, external affairs minister S Jaishankar in Melbourne both for a bilateral meeting and as a part of the Quad foreign minister’s deliberations, with both leaders expressing their commitment to deepening bilateral ties. Hussain serves as the “principal advisor” to Blinken on religious freedom conditions and policies, and leads the State Department’s efforts to “monitor religious freedom abuses, persecution and discrimination worldwide”.