A controversy over students wearing hijab, starting from Karnataka, is raging now. Broadly, Muslims stress their “right” to do so and most others are not convinced whether such religious practices should be encouraged in educational institutions. The BJP government in Karnataka is obviously against this while Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan has taken a saner view by saying it’s up to a school to decide on the dress code inside its precincts. He has also stressed that Islam does not make such an insistence and such campaigns would only lead to Muslim women losing opportunities for jobs. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, on the other hand says a day will come when someone wearing hijab would be the PM of India.
In sum, the social atmosphere is getting vitiated by sectarian pursuits. India gives full freedom to various faiths to practise their religion and a secular mindset is prominent outside the realm of the BJP-RSS networks. Notably, RSS too has stressed that it considers all those who live in ‘Bharat’ as Hindus. Hinduism is not a rigid religious doctrine either. At the same time, the off-springs of the RSS and those who lead them have often undercut the fabric of social harmony by their sectarian, aggressive pro-Hindutva approaches. Christians demonstrate a spirit of co-existence. Muslims feel alienated from the time of Partition; more so in the Hindi belt and also in areas encompassing the western belt that bore the brunt of Partition-linked bloodletting.
The Kashmir-linked terrorism promoted by Pakistan with an evil eye as also the Wahabist pursuits further alienated Muslims from the mainstream. Pakistan cannot hope to take Kashmir Valley from India; India has as much muscle power, diplomatic strength and military clout. Indian Muslims would do well to see the positive side of the Indian systems and rise above rigid religious stances. In India citizens must learn to co-exist. The way the Indian government went about drafting the CAA and implementing it too deserved condemnation. In the process, India lost some goodwill it enjoyed in the Muslim world outside. So too with the hijab controversy now. There is no deficit for religious freedom in India, though there are aberrations which will need to be corrected. The matter should end there. The BJP, running the nation now, has a larger responsibility to maintain social harmony and mutual trust between religions, races, regions and castes. Ensuring everyone their due and not allowing indulgences by any side — is what good governance is all about. Petty-minded politicians do not often see the larger picture.