The Karnataka High court upholding the state government’s ban on wearing of Hijab in schools in colleges is a violation of religious freedom and grave injustice to women, the United States Commission of International Religious Freedom (USIRF) said on Friday.
The Commission quoting its commissioner Anurima Bhargava tweeted: “India’s Karnataka State court upholding the hijab ban in schools is a violation of religious freedom. The ruling is a grave injustice and indignity to women and girls seeking an education in accordance with their faith.”
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
On March 15, the Karnataka High Court ruled that wearing the hijab is “not an essential religious practice” in Islam and freedom of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution is subject to reasonable restrictions. A full bench of the High Court also dismissed a batch of petitions filed by Muslim girls studying in pre-university colleges in Udupi seeking the right to wear hijabs in classrooms.
The court also upheld an order issued on February 5 by the state, which suggested that wearing hijabs can be restricted in government colleges where uniforms are prescribed — and ruled that “prescription of a school uniform” is a “reasonable restriction” that is “Constitutionally permissible”.
