For 35 years, no girl was wearing Hijab in class : Udupi College Principal

Looking at the behaviour and words of Muslim girls, it is clear that they are being influenced by ‘external elements’ !

Udupi (Karnataka) – In response to the recent Hijab controversy where a group of Muslim students were adamant about violating the uniform dress code and wearing Islamic attire inside classrooms, Karnataka’s Udupi College Principal Rudre Gowda has reportedly stated that no one has requested for Hijab for 35 years. The Principal also stated that religious attire, such as the Hijab, was permitted on the campus but not inside the classroom.

‘For 35 years, no girl was wearing hijab, they came with CFI lawyer, insisted on wearing hijab in class’: Udupi College principalhttps://t.co/tRdjLWQ11o

— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) February 11, 2022

“During class hours, all students have to be in uniform with no Hijab. Only after 27^th December, they said they wanted to wear the Hijab in the classroom”, Gowda said. All that was being done, was to maintain classroom homogeneity. Gowda added that on 27^th December, some Muslim girls had come with people they claimed as their parents. He had then spoken to the students and the guardians and the girls were convinced to follow the uniform dress code. On the following day, they came with some people and first said they are parents, then said they are ‘cousins’.

Gowda stated that on Day 3, the Muslim girls had come with a Campus Front of India (CFI) lawyer and some members of the CFI student union. “The CFI was already aggressive towards me in class on Day 3. We told them there is a discipline in college. We don’t have to talk to CFI. We will talk to their families (of the protesting students). We requested them (CFI) to let the girls study and not force them”, he said.

Gowda said that majority of parents spoke with the management and were convinced, but they were frightened to take a step back since things had progressed too far and children were not listening to them. “We told the parents they should convince the children. If they don’t listen to their parents, who will they listen to ? Is there any meaning to this ? We told the parents that if they are not listening to them, they are listening to outsiders”, he added.

Principal of the Udupi PU College also stated that looking at the behaviour and the statements of the Muslim girls, it is clear to him that they are being influenced by ‘external elements’ like the CFI.

Campus Front of India (CFI), the controversial student arm of the militant Islamist Popular Front of India, has been linked in stirring the Hijab dispute in Udupi, Karnataka. The college authorities have stated that there are over 100 Muslim students in the institution and most of them are attending classes peacefully. Only some girls have been adamant about wearing Hijab in violation of the existing dress code