19-year-old student Muskan Khan, dressed in a burqa, made her way towards the entrance of Mandya’s pre – university college. There she was met by heckles from a group of rowdy men, waving saffron scarfs, aggressively shouting slogans of “Jai Shri Ram.”
As the slogans got louder, Muskan waved her fist in the air and shouted, “Allah Hu Akbar,” in retaliation. She was then swiftly escorted into the building. Muskan’s bravery in the face of intimidation and hostility has made her the face of the Hijab protest – in the fight against religious intolerance and bigotry.
Muskan Khan has become the symbol for what Indian Muslim women are facing today. They have a fight on their hands to hold on to their Muslim identity despite the harassment and intimidation coming their way.
Tension is soaring and unrest has triggered after a Hijab ban was imposed in schools within Southern India. Schools across Karnataka have prohibited Muslim students from wearing the hijab in class, leading to protests against the decision.
Videos circulating on social media platforms have gone viral of Muslim students being forced to remove their hijabs before entering school. This comes as no real surprise when we look at the agenda of those in power. Under Narendra Modi’s BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) minorities have become an easy target, Muslims and Christians in particular.
Under Modi’s leadership, we are witnessing India on a downward spiral, stooping lower towards intolerance, divisions and bigotry. India, the world’s largest democracy, was once regarded as a poster for secularism and diversity. Now it is hostile towards minorities.
Some critics have seen recent developments as the BJP drumming up far – right Hindu votes in for upcoming elections in the south, and to also serve as a distraction from the government’s dismal handling of the pandemic, that wreaked havoc within India.
The government has said that the ban of religious symbols in schools is against anything that “directly disturbs equality, integrity and public law and order.” But in reality, it is to further marginalise the Muslim community and erase their religious identity. India’s Muslim community are having to prove their loyalty towards their country by making a choice between faith and their Indian identity.
Muslim women have received support and solidarity from people belonging to different faiths, from all walks of life within India. But those sane voices are being drowned out by the loud, rowdiness of bigots that salivate over a Hindutva ideology.
But it is troubling to see big, influential personalities remain quiet. Bollywood superstars and sportspeople, cricketers in particular, are given God-like status in India. They have a huge platform and yet they have chosen the safer option – silence. And the handful that have been courageous enough to speak out, are not part of the big names.
In comparison, some international celebrities have been more vocal. American model Bella Hadid posted her support on social media for Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab. The lack of back bone by Indian celebrities is very much keeping in line with the nature of their industry. Bollywood has become a propaganda machine and a cheerleader for the government.
India might have all the programming of a world’s largest democracy, but it is functioning like a fascist state. Despite this, the international community is more than comfortable with looking the other way while minorities are under attack. This reeks of hypocrisy, but is very much expected.
Had this been happening in any other country on less favourable terms with the likes of the US and Europe, there would have been clear cut condemnation. But India is viewed as a valuable player, especially when it comes to countering China, and trade always comes before principle. The Biden Administration will continue propping up Narendra Modi, even if it means looking the other way to the bigoted mind set of its ally.
So, when India is absent from America’s list of countries of particular concern when it comes to religious freedom, it makes perfect sense. India’s secular society is being held in a chokehold by a Hindutva agenda that is being pushed from right at the top. With everything that has been happening in India in recent times, it should have been placed on the list a very long time ago. But being friends with the big guys clearly helps evade any sort of accountability.
Mixing religion and politics is the oldest trick in the book that can be used against a minority and the BJP/RSS partnership has mastered this trick. But the Hijab ban should not be looked at from a religious angle alone. There is also an element of misogyny. The targeting of Muslim women is deliberate because they are seen as a soft target.
Policing women over what they choose to wear continues and we have seen this in France as well. The French senate voted in favour of banning the hijab in sporting events, back in January. In April last year, France also placed a ban on minors wearing the hijab in public. France has always had an issue with Islamophobia, but the specific targeting of women is also rooted from the desire to control her.
What a woman chooses to wear is her choice entirely and if she wants to cover her head, her choice should be respected. Similarly, if a woman chooses not to wear the hijab, that should equally be respected and should never be enforced. It is about time the world ends its selective outrage and pick and choose mentality. We should stand behind all women and their right to make their own choices.
The writer has studied History and Politics at Queen Mary, University of London. And Near and Middle East Studies at SOAS, University of London.
