New Delhi: Senior functionaries of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have disowned the views of a member who was quoted as saying that “purdah” is part of Indian culture.
The statement, by MRM Awadh Prant Sanchalak Anil Singh, was made in the context of the ongoing “hijab row” in Karnataka, where a group of Muslim students is engaged in a legal battle with college authorities to ensure the hijab is allowed in classrooms. Singh had expressed his support for the students.
Speaking to ThePrint Friday, MRM national convenor Shahid Akhtar said the organisation’s stand on the hijab issue is aligned with the Indian Constitution. “This is not a religious or political issue, it is about the education of our kids. Some (people) are unnecessarily using the kids to politicise the issue.”
Akhtar added: “We have a clear stand on this. We abide by the Indian Constitution. Educational institutions have a uniform and students need to wear that. There has never been any problem in women wearing the hijab. But in educational institutions they have to comply with the rule.”
Reacting to the comments made by Anil Singh, he said, “I have no clue from where he got such an idea. We have always said that we stand for nationalism. How did he bring religion into it?”
“As far as the purdah pratha (practice of veil by women) is concerned, I would want to remind him about the diverse culture of Indian society. So, it is not only one culture he is talking about. The issue is sub judice now, and we should be responsible while making statements on sensitive issues like these,” said Akhtar.
In an interim order, uploaded on the court’s website Friday, the Karnataka High Court restrained students of colleges that have prescribed a dress code or uniform from wearing “religious garments” and requested the state to reopen educational institutions. A plea against it has already been filed in the Supreme Court.
‘Not MRM stand’
On Thursday, Singh was quoted in the media as saying that the country’s Constitution gives students the right to wear the hijab. He also spoke against those who have been wearing saffron scarves in protest against the Islamic headscarf.
He said the hijab is a type of “purdah” which “is a part of Indian culture and our society. Even Hindu women in our society, depending on the individual, wear ‘purdah’”.
A senior MRM functionary, who didn’t want to be named, told ThePrint that they “will probe into it [his comment] and see how he could make such statements”.
Shalini Ali, convenor of the MRM’s women wing, said, “We condemn such statement by someone who introduced himself as a MRM member. Some groups are using our kids to satisfy their vested political interest. We do not support fanatics and fanaticism. We condemn every statement that supports such ideas.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: A timeline of how hijab row took centre stage in Karnataka politics and reached HC