In a state known for its literacy, secular ethos, and social harmony, the hijab row in Kerala stands out as an avoidable and unfortunate flare-up. What began as a simple disagreement between a school and a parent over the dress code has been blown out of proportion, thanks to political grandstanding and communal noise.
The incident occurred at a convent-run school in Kochi, where a Class 8 student turned up in a hijab. Teachers asked her to follow the prescribed uniform. A few days later, she returned in the same attire, this time accompanied by her father and others who insisted on her right to wear it. The confrontation led the school to close temporarily and seek police protection.
What could have been quietly resolved through dialogue quickly turned into a political spectacle. Congress leaders rushed in to announce a ‘compromise’ without taking all parties into confidence. The truce might still have held had Education Minister V Sivankutty not publicly criticised the school, paving the way for religious organisations to step in. Muslim groups began demanding that hijab be permitted in all educational institutions, while church bodies accused the government of siding with “communal elements”. One Muslim outfit even launched a campaign to identify schools restricting religious attire.
With tempers rising, the student eventually withdrew from the school. Kerala has long prided itself on its secular and syncretic traditions, where people of different faiths coexist with mutual respect. That legacy must not be undermined by identity politics or misplaced zeal.
The hijab, like any other symbol of faith, need not be demonised—but institutions have the right to enforce a uniform once it has been accepted by students and parents. The Kerala High Court in 2018 upheld that right, and the Karnataka High Court in 2022 ruled that wearing a hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam. Defying agreed norms in such a setting is not an assertion of faith—it is a challenge to institutional order. The student’s right to education is inviolable, but so too is the school’s responsibility to maintain discipline and inclusivity. This controversy, inflated by vested interests, serves neither.
Kerala’s political and religious leaders would do well to de-escalate rather than exploit such issues. Preserving the state’s hard-won secular balance demands restraint, dialogue, and maturity—not divisive rhetoric over a school uniform.
