The Home Minister of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Aragha Gnanendra, has stated that religion should be kept out of education, and female students should be prohibited from wearing headscarves in schools.
A major controversy erupted in the state about Muslim women wearing the hijab in educational institutions, and the hashtag "Hijab is Our Right" was launched to show solidarity with the veiled students who were affected by the decision to prevent them from entering classes because of the hijab, and activists called on the Indian authorities to change their opinion.
Among the tweets and comments that were monitored by "The Eighth - Your Post" (4/2/2022) was what Indian politician Sandeep Sourav wrote in a tweet, where he said, "Stop discriminating against girls in wearing the hijab, you must guarantee the right to religion, the right to independence and education for women who guaranteed by the constitution, the administration of Udupi State College and Kundapura State College must be sanctioned. Solidarity with the headscarf movement is our right.”
Tweeter Reem Selim wrote, denouncing the matter, "All people are free to wear them, except for the veiled, of course. This is a trivial world that is hostile to fabric."
Writer Hudhayfa Azzam also tweeted, "Removing the hijab has become a condition for entering university campuses and college buildings and taking exams in India.. Take off your hijab or you have no future.. Beautify yourself with the hijab. The doors will be closed without you. Take it off. The reasons will be easy for you!! It is a matter of righteousness in which the people of your obedience will be cherished.”
A call for a boycott in Lebanon
In Lebanon, the "ABC boycott" hashtag topped the Twitter list, with tweeters calling for a boycott of one of the largest shopping complexes in East Beirut after excluding one of the female employees for wearing the hijab.
Activists expressed their disapproval and dissatisfaction with the decision, and tweeters considered it racist towards Muslims, stressing that "the beliefs and values of others must be respected."
Activist Raed Al-Hajj said, "Two days ago, it was the day of the veil in the world, and it was an occasion to honor veiled women. Some patients in Lebanon wanted to make it an occasion to expel a veiled woman.
Sabah Saad wrote, "The matter does not depend on the ABC mall. Every time I go to Lebanon, I suffer from the selectivity of places because I am veiled."
As for the activist, Sahar al-Atrash, she wondered, "Which planet does the ABC administration live in, who has been blinded by the sight of a veiled employee? Since when did Lebanon become a country where religious manifestations are forbidden (if they consider the veil a religious "accessory")? She added that "racism in this country has exceeded the description".