In the midst of the heated hijab debate in Karnataka, which is presently under examination by the Karnataka high court, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan claimed the hijab is not a component of Islam as a turban is of Sikhism.
According to the governor, the hijab is referenced seven times in the Quran, but never in relation to women’s clothing regulation. It has to do with ‘purdah,’ which indicates that you should have ‘purdah’ in between your words, according to Arif Mohammad Khan.
The entire debate, Khan claims, is a plot to sabotage Muslim women’s advancement. “I will tell you just one quote… A young girl, who was brought up in the household of the Prophet himself… she was the niece of the wife of the Holy Prophet. She was proverbially beautiful… She said I want people to see my beauty and see the grace of God in my beauty… And be thankful to God… This is how the women of the first generation (of Islam) behaved. That’s all I want to say,” the Governor said.
The hijab dispute, which began in January at a government pre-university college in Udupi when six students were ordered to leave the school because they were wearing headscarves in violation of the dress code, has spread across Karnataka, with Hindu students responding by donning saffron shawls.
