Karnataka HC order on hijab unconstitutional: Kerala Muslim groups

KOZHIKODE: Muslim organisations in Kerala have stated that the Karnataka High Court order that said that hijab is not an essential practice of Islam is unconstitutional and an affront to the individual rights. Terming the verdict as unfortunate, IUML acting state general secretary PMA Salam said hijab is not a contentious issue in Islam.

Countries in Europe and America allow women to do their jobs wearing hijab, he said. “More than an issue of religious practice, it is a question of an individual’s freedom,” he said. Salam added that the court should have considered all these aspects before arriving at a conclusion to buttress people’s faith in judiciary.

Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliar said the court’s finding is against the basic tenets of Islam. “No one in any part of the world has said that hijab is not an integral part of Islam,” he said. Expressing pain and regret in the order, Kanthapuram expressed the hope that there will be a favourable decision from the part of the upper court.

Sunni Yuvanaja Sangham (SYS) working secretary Abdul Hameed Faizi Ambalakkadavu said the signals sent out by the court order are not encouraging. “How can the court arrive at such a decision when all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence uphold that covering the head is mandatory for Muslim women?” he asked.

Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) state president T P Abdulla Koya Madani said the Karnataka High Court order has raised many concerns. It is regrettable that the court has failed to see the right of the Muslim girls to wear the dress of their choice.

The KNM (Markazudawa) felt that the court order is an affront to the fundamental rights of Muslim women. Quran, the basic text of Islam, has unequivocally asserted that headscarf is mandatory for women. The finding that is contrary to this is unacceptable, it said. Wisdom Islamic Organisation said the court had arrived at the conclusion without properly examining the basic Islamic texts.Jama’at-e-Islami and Popular Front of India have also come out against the order.