Objection, your honour!

By Maijabeen Gaihlot Choudhary

I pinched myself many times over to believe the Karnataka High Court verdict on the latest bugbear in town -- the hijab.

It felt like I boarded the wrong train or reached an exam studying for the wrong subject. The feeling of isolation that hit me was just the same. Dejected, I looked around for familiar faces for I had trespassed unknown territory…this was not the India I have known.

Already nervous as my academic future hangs in balance, I am deeply hurt at being chided and not consoled, dismissed not understood. Brushing aside the intimidation I suffered, the onus of maintaining discipline was thrust upon me while my hecklers had the last laugh.

Reprimanding the victim only emboldens the victimiser. It is insulting to be blamed for the whole mess whilst I stand barred from classrooms and exams. The sense of betrayal is sharp because the custodian of my rights chose to look away.

A tradition that has stood the test of time for over fourteen centuries sanctioned by a religion revered by billions all over the globe has been deemed as ‘unessential’ by a three judge bench. The Qur’an categorically states “there is no compulsion in religion”, not to negate any of its tenets but to raise it above coercion and pressure.

The religion itself does not burden those followers whom you wish to emancipate in pursuit of ‘positive secularism’. Am I not entitled to the same just because, unlike you, I find the hijab liberating? I am yet to fathom why my hijab cannot thrive under the label of “safe space.” Or why does hijab not qualify for ‘reasonable accommodation’?

It is ironic that in promoting the uniform, the court cites ancient Indian scriptures. Which punishment attached to its non-conformity validates the concept of gurukul uniforms- ‘samavastra’ or’ shubhravesh’ to the present day? I’m glad they have been honoured because like hijab, I assume they are not outdated apparel but loaded with meaningful emotions.

The interim order has, it seems, reinforced the ‘sense of social separateness’ that it claims to avoid by banning the hijab. Who will own responsibility for the marginalisation of millions of hijab-clad women as they might be left out of the education bandwagon?

‘Hijab ban’ masquerading as an attempt at “equality and integrity” is not a mid-day meal that can lure them back into colleges. They can be shoved heartlessly into a corner but not eliminated. Who shall stand guilty of meting out a step-motherly treatment and relegating them to lesser citizenship? Or is it that they have ceased to matter, ‘unessential’ to the Indian social fabric?

The dignified resilience of the hijabclad students is noteworthy. Though greatly disappointed to the point of breaking down, they haven’t turned into an unruly mob but have pinned their hopes on the higher altar of the Indian judiciary to claim their Constitutional rights.

India braces itself for a legal showdown where a handful of young, hopeful, and determined students shut out of their own colleges have put up a brave front to take on the might of majoritarianism. Fingers crossed as the fate of fundamental rights is awaited, a decision that will impact the lives of all Indians. Will they prevail or be consumed by a sudden and extraordinary regard for uniformity and discipline?

Religion flows into the veins of this nation. In a pluralistic society, that which cannot be comprehended can certainly be respected because it means the world to someone. Is it asking for too much?

As I take my fight forward, I pledge solidarity with all those essential religious symbols that run the risk of going the ‘unessential way”.

(The views expressed are of the writer’s and not of the NewsTrail.)