JEDDAH: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed concern over the banning of female students from wearing hijab in India.
In a statement, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has expressed deep concern over recent public calls for the genocide of Muslims in Haridwar in India’s Uttarakhand state.
It also condemned reported incidents of harassment of Muslim women on social media, as well as the banning of female Muslim students wearing the hijab in Karnataka.
“The continued attacks on Muslims and their places of worship, the recent trend of anti-Muslim legislation in different states and rising incidents of violence against Muslims are indicative of the growing trend of Islamophobia,” the OIC said.
It called upon the international community, especially the UN and Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, to take necessary measures in this regard.
The OIC urged India to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the Muslim community, protect the way of life of its citizens, and bring perpetrators of acts of violence to justice.
On Friday, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (IRF) Rashad Hussain said “Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing” and hijab bans in schools “violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls”.
Hussain, who had served as US Special Envoy of President Barack Obama to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was recently appointed as the US envoy for international religious freedom by the Biden administration.
In a tweet, he said, “Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one’s religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls.”
It may be recalled that the Indian state of Karnataka has banned the wearing of hijab and burqa by Muslim students in schools and colleges. In the last few days, there has been an incident of an extremist group preventing a smiling student from entering the college, after which the matter has intensified.
