Muslim women facing “intimidation,” urges IIM Bangalore

Five faculty members of IIM Bangalore urged the National Commission for Women (NCW) to protect the rights of Muslim women facing "intimidation," and 184 Azim Premji University students issued a statement of solidarity with those "harassed by mobs and denied education based on their attire," as the chorus against the Karnataka hijab row grew louder on Friday.

Students from Azim Premji University urged other student communities to "peacefully speak up," expressing hope that their voice and collectiveness, expressed through the declaration, will count in these "gloomy and unprecedented times." Meanwhile, the faculty at IIM Bangalore has urged the NCW to move quickly.

Hema Swaminathan, Ritwik Banerjee, Deepak Malghan, Dalhia Mani, and Prateek Raj of IIM Bangalore wrote a petition to NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma, stating that while they do not condone patriarchal constraints in any religion, "to single out one religious practice is not acceptable."

The petition says, “Women across all religions face patriarchal restrictions of one kind or the other. Certainly, we cannot condone such practices and we must work with men, women, and religious leaders to bring about change. But to single out one religious practice is not acceptable… As you must be aware, evidence globally and from India shows that education is the most effective tool for women’s empowerment and broader social development. The atmosphere of fear and intimidation will make parents hesitate to send daughters to schools and colleges. ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ will be an abject failure, not just for Muslim girls, but for girls across all communities.”

Swaminathan, a professor at the Centre for Public Policy, told the sources that they chose to write to the NCW since it is dedicated to protecting women's rights. “Women, in general, are subject to restrictions and they should not be pushed back further. Also, we need to reclaim plurality,” Swaminathan, whose research interests include gender-based inequality analysis, stated.

The students of Azim Premji University, which has a campus in Bengaluru, published a statement saying they oppose any discrimination that denies citizens basic rights, such as education, based on their identities. It also demanded that Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai take strict action against mob violence against students.

The statement further reads, “Such incidents have the potential to create institutionalised discrimination based on gender, religion, and caste… We should also remember that it is our Constitutional duty as citizens to promote harmony and respect our composite culture. As students of a progressive country and the world’s largest democracy, we believe no institution should impose its belief on what one should wear, eat or say! Therefore as youths of a young country that is home to the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, APJ Abdul Kalam, Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Rakumari Amrit Kaur and Savitribai Phule, it is our responsibility to voice our concerns and protect the idea of a secular and democratic India.” 

Also read:sc has rejected urgent hearing in the Karnataka hijab dispute