Cii Radio| Ayesha Ismail| 24 November 2017| 04 Rabi ul Awal 1439
In yet another shocking incident from Uttar Pradesh, a school in Barabanki has barred Muslim students from wearing headscarves to class, citing that they do not go with the dress code of the school.
The incident is being reported a day after three Muslim clerics were allegedly beaten up by unidentified persons in a moving train, for wearing scarfs.
The Moulanas, who boarded a passenger train at Delhi on Wednesday night, were on their way to their village in Baghpat when they had a tiff with some youth who allegedly beat them up.
Today, another shocker was reported from the state governed by the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government. Anand Bhawan School objected to one of its Muslim students wearing a headscarf to school. When the student’s father asked permission for the same in a written application to the principal, he received the following reply.
“It is to clarify to you that this is a minority school, but there are many communities in minority category, and one community cannot impose its rules on other communities,” the letter read, and further said, “The school will not be able to provide an exemption to its rules.”
Principal Archana Thomas also asked him to not “disrupt the school’s functioning by asking unnecessary questions.”
“If you face any inconvenience, you can admit your ward to an Islamic school,” she added.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Mohammad R Rizvi, the father of the concerned student, said that his daughter had been studying in the school since kindergarten, and as per Islamic tradition, had to cover her hair after reaching the age of nine.
On being questioned about it, Rizvi wrote to the principal.
“My daughter was asked not to wear a headscarf to school, another girl was made to remove it as well. I argued that our Sikh brothers are also allowed even though their turban is not part of the dress code,” he said.
Rizvi said that he also held a meeting with the District Magistrate regarding the school’s order, but to no avail.
“It felt like talking with the principal. He didn’t hear anything that I had to say and made it clear that he will not help me in any way. Generally, people at least give an assurance,” Rizvi said.
The school’s principal, meanwhile, said that the letter did not imply that the students were told to leave school.
“It said if they have a problem with the rules, they can admit their child to another school, not necessarily an Islamic school,” Thomas said.
On the question of differentiating among communities by allowing Sikhs and barring Muslims from practising their beliefs, Thomas said, “Sikhs don’t study here.”
Source – times now news
