Indian society is deteriorating rapidly under the fascist Modi regime and has galvanized fears against the increasing persecution of Muslims. Since the last few weeks, the situation worsened when several schools banned girls from wearing Hijab in classrooms. Since then, Hindu extremists have resorted to hooliganism, violence, and harassment preventing girls from entering educational institutes.
A viral video shows a hijab-clad Muslim student being heckled by a Hindu mob wearing saffron scarfs at a college in the state of Karnataka. The lone girl bravely stands up to the protestors and remains defiant, becoming a symbol of courage against the growing hostilities. The state machinery remains helpless before the right-wing groups backed by the Hindutva regime. Indian Muslims will need to stand up for their rights rather than remain silent.
The standoff in Karnataka, where 12 percent of the population is Muslim, can turn into a communal conflict. Campuses have seen escalating confrontations between Muslim students condemning the Hijab ban and Hindu extremists who have thronged classrooms and disrupted education. The state’s education minister has refused to lift the ban. A case has been filed over violation of constitutional rights but authorities have refrained from taking concrete action.
Hindu supremacists have been emboldened since Modi came to power and have eroded its secular, pluralistic identity at the expense of the Muslim minority. The BJP regime has increasingly discriminated against Muslims and stoked violence. The latest episode has even drawn the ire of sane minds including politicians and celebrities who have condemned the government for taking the law to the lowest ebb.
India is witnessing a form of religious apartheid that discriminates against Muslims. The anxiety felt by the girls who are unable to continue their education exposes the injustices Muslims are facing there. Refusing girls to attend schools in hijabs is horrifying. Indian leaders need to stop the marginalization of Muslim women. The world also needs to take action against increasing polarization which has widened the religious fault lines and bitter tensions before the situation worsens.
