This time, like in Karnataka, the Hijab-saffron scarf controversy is playing out as a Namabali vs Burqa controversy in an educational institution of West Bengal.
Dhulagori Adarsha Vidyalaya in Howrah has been temporarily closed in the face of angry reactions from Hindu students.
According to local media outlet The News Bangla, this controversy started due to wearing of burqa and hijab instead of the specific school dress in the school a few days ago. In response to this, Hindu students protested by coming to school wearing namabalis (hand-crafted sacred cloth containing Sri Krishna’s name).
According to the report in The News Bangla, the Hindu students complained that Muslim girls have been wearing burqas and hijabs instead of school uniform in Dhulagari Adarsh School, in disobedience of guidelines. Despite the Hindu students of the school repeatedly informing the school authorities and teachers, there was no change. The school authorities tried to ignore the matter and were indifferent towards the concerns raised by Hindu students.
In protest, on November 22, Hindu students came to school wearing namabalis. The teachers of the school did not allow the Hindu students to enter the examination hall of the school. Hindu students questioned their teachers, asking how can the Muslim students wear burqas and hijabs and still take the exam?
Completely ignoring this valid question, the teachers and school authorities did not allow the Hindu students to sit for the examination, even though they allowed Muslim girls wearing burqas and hijabs to take the examination.
Due to this controversy, the school authorities have closed the school since November 23. The school gate is locked. A class 10 student told The News Bangla that Hindu students in classes 11 and 12 had been raising questions about wearing hijabs and burqas instead of school dresses for quite some time. In response, they were scolded and ridiculed. As a result, Hindu students came to the school to take the exam with Namabali wrapped around their bodies in protest. But the school authorities did not allow them to appear for the examination, and the next day the school was closed indefinitely until the situation ‘normalizes’ (secular-speak for Hindus accepting discrimination and dhimmitude).
There is a heated situation in the local area based on this incident. The school authorities said that the school will reopen after talking to the administration. However, the school authorities did not comment on their silence regarding the wearing of burqas and hijabs by Muslim girls. Netizens commented that the school authorities’ disobedience of the court order and being indifferent to Muslim students flouting dress uniform guidelines caused this situation, and that the school authorities should take responsibility for this incident.
It is instructive to note that in this part of West Bengal, minor Muslim school girls are not just being asked by their community elders and clerics to wear hijab (a head covering intended to maintain ‘modesty’ and ‘protect girls from male gaze’), but these minors are even being asked to attend schools wearing the burqa (black full-body garment covering a female from head to toe).
(This article was originally published in the Hindu Post and has been republished here with permission after making suitable edits to suit The Commune style.)
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