Hijab ban: Campus Front says organized conspiracy to dehumanize Muslim women

Campus Front of India on Saturday accused the state of an “organized conspiracy to dehumanize Muslim women” pointing out the slew of gendered islamophobic attacks against Muslim women recently.

CFI leaders were addressing a press conference held at Press Club Bangalore, Karnataka. The student body has been at the forefront of the protest against the hijab ban in Karnataka.

National Committee member KP Fathima Sherin attended the meeting.

“We perceive an organised nationwide conspiracy is systematically executed by the right-wing Hindutva groups to dehumanise Muslim women. The sporadic attack against them occurred in different states and callous response from the government and police strengthens the doubt, “ states the press release.

Since January, over eight colleges in the Udupi district has stopped hijab-clad Muslim female students, citing government guidelines. Many collages were forced to align with the new Hindutva plan after Several Hindu students in their respective colleges wore saffron shawls to college, “protesting against permission to wear hijab”.

The statement released by CFI is as follows :

“Auctioning Muslim women activists at online platforms, denying fundamental rights of Muslim students in Karnataka and Kerala are part of the larger conspiracy. The conspirators of online auction belong to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which proves an organised network behind this serious crime. The police were inactive against this serious crime till the Maharashtra police arrested a few persons involved in the conspiracy. All the arrested young individuals have Hindutva connections beyond the states.

In Udupi, the order of the College Principal to remove headscarves was done due to the pressure of the BJP as the head of the management of the college is a BJP MLA. Muslim girls had worn hijab for a long time and didn’t cause any problems. It was seen that a group of youths indoctrinated by Sangh Parivar come to college wearing saffron shawls marking protests against girls attending classes wearing hijab. Now, this same strategy is exported to various colleges by the right-wing Hindutva forces. “

“This is an organised and systematic conspiracy to dehumanise Muslim women and slander their religious identity. The college principals’ involvement in denying the fundamental constitutional rights of Muslim students only helps the hate-mongers. We demand a fair investigation of these issues and nab the persons behind them. We appeal to all citizens to express solidarity to the students who are fighting to protect our constitutional rights.”

State Vice President of Kerala CFI, Zeba Shireen, CFI Karnataka Committee Members, Ayesha Murshida, Fathima Usman and CFI Bangalore District Leader, Muddasira took part in the event.