Manmohan Dhar
Politics in India has taken a very dirty turn. Opportunist politicians from different political outfits have succumbed to the fundamentalist ideology of ISIS and Taliban. It is a very precarious and volatile state of affairs and if not countered with a firm hand it is bound to take the whole country in its grip. If ISIS, Taliban and Pakistan are giving an open support to the Hijab stir in India, what does that indicate? There is no rocket science needed to understand the link. To take you a little behind in the history a very senior congressman had almost begged before the Pakistani leadership and media to do something to uproot Narendra Modi Government in India, and bring Congress to power. This is what political bankruptcy and thirst for power can do. These shameless leaders who stoop so low and are ready even to go against their own Prime Minister and the country are the culprits who need to be shown their place politically. It has to be made amply clear to all these people that Anti national elements have no place in this country. ‘Nation First’ is the new name of the game, they need to understand and understand fully. Now, Coming to Hijab controversy which is a new opportunist tactics of some political parties to affect on-going elections in country in different states more importantly in Uttar Pradesh and at the same time create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the country. Just to make it not look direct, they fabricated the dirty plan to start from Karnataka, with a malafide intention of taking the whole country as hostage and disrupt and polarise election process.
The row started when some Muslim girls of a Government pre-University college in Udupi, Karnataka tried to enter college wearing a Hijab. They were stopped by the college administration from entering the college and this was the beginning of what can be termed as unfortunate for the entire educational system. The very basic issue of complying to the college norms in so far as the uniform or the college dress code is concerned was given a religious colour by the political hooligans in order to start a big agitation in the wake of state elections in the country. And, when things could be brought under control through a dialogue, some unruly misguided youth from another community thought they can’t wait and watch. So, countering it they tried to add fuel to the fire by chanting slogans wearing saffron scarfs. Situation that threatens the integral fabric of Democratic India need to be dealt with a firm resolve.
What is Hijab? Let us try to understand the interpretation of Hijab given by some muslim clerics. Hijab is a veil worn by Muslim women. For some believers of the Quran, Hadith and other Arabic texts, the term Khimar was used to denote a headscarf, and Hijab was used to denote a partition, a curtain, or was used generally for the islamic rules of modesty and dress for women. Wearing Hijab in public is not required by law in Saudi Arabia. In Gaza, Palestinian Jihadists have rejected a hijab policy for women. It is required by law in Iran, Afghanistan and the Indonesian province of Aceh. Other countries, both in Europe and in the Muslim world, have passed laws banning some or all types of hijab in public or in certain types of locales. Women in different parts of the world have also experienced unofficial pressure to wear or not wear a hijab.
So, if a comparative analysis on the importance of Hijab is done, it may look to be something which has not a religious binding and that it has not been considered to be an essential dress code for women. And, quite obviously if it would have been a binding for the Muslim women then in that case all Muslim women world over would have been wearing Hijab without any fail, or otherwise they would face a religious Fatwa for not following the set rules of the Holy Quran. But, when someone looks at the progressive women across the world, it is found that Hijab can be a Muslim dress code but more optional than essential.
When Muslim women especially girls are made to understand the very essence of a school or college uniform which has nothing to do with anybody’s religious belief, it is very much possible that the misunderstanding which has been created by some self centered politicians, can be removed and there can once again be calm in the country. But, if that would have been the case then the whole controversy would have not even arisen. The mere practice of wearing Hijab by Muslim women is being given credence over the interpretations and explanations about Hijab by scholars. So, it is evident that there is a clear contradiction between the law and the practice. And when there are some loop holes somewhere in the system, the opportunists take the advantage and try to exploit the situation. That is where the political hooliganism comes into action. For some politicians it is now becoming a habit to incite unlawful activities by misleading the youth of the country. And this time it is the innocent Muslim girl students who have fallen prey to the nefarious designs of these opportunist politicians. It is unfortunate that the country is facing yet another Shaheen Bagh like situation. And, it looks as if the disruptors of peace and tranquility will not rest till they put the country to a test, yet again.
It is quite evident that those who do not want the country to march on the path of progress with tranquility and peace, fan the flames of hatred to satisfy their nefarious designs. Unlawful agitations have become a toolkit in the hands of Anti national elements which is not a very healthy state of affairs. Well, it is not desirable for a country with diverse culture, where people from different faiths practice different religions, to let people with destructive and atrocious mentality play with the sentiments of the people. Undue advantages taken by certain sections of the society cannot be left unnoticed. Such unmindful hooliganism cannot and should not be tolerated at any cost. And, if the Govt. yields to such illogical and absurd demands of some handful of disruptors of peace, then the day is not far when the country will have to face a state of Chios, uncertainty, anarchy and a frightening and dangerous threat of division on the basis of religion. Therefore, fundamentalism of any kind, whether it is behind the hijab or the saffron scarf, in schools and colleges, if not crushed, is bound to result into a political hooliganism. And political hooliganism is death of a democratic polity A country like India, which believes in a collective development for all, cannot afford a ‘political hooliganism’.