Hyderabad: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has termed the Karnataka High Court's ruling upholding the ban on hijab, the Muslim veil inside classrooms a “violation of religious freedom”.
In a statement on Thursday by the USCIRF, Anurima Bhargava, one of the Commissioners, said the Karnataka High Court ruling is a “grave injustice and indignity to women and girls seeking education in accordance with their faith.” On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court held that the hijab is “not an essential religious practice in Islam” and upheld the State government's February 5 order banning the use of any cloth on the campus that could “disturb peace, harmony and public order”. The court was hearing a plea by a few students from Udupi, who approached the High Court seeking permission to wear hijab inside classrooms of educational institutions.
The USCIRF has raised concern over religious freedom in India under the tenure of the BJP. The 2021 annual report by the USCIRF for India alleged that in 2020, religious freedom conditions in India “continued their negative trajectory”. “The government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promoted Hindu nationalist policies resulting in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The USCIRF is a federal government agency that monitors the right to freedom globally and issues policy recommendations to the US government and Congress.
Read: Hijab ban in classroom: Fresh plea in SC challenges Karnataka HC verdict
