A private school in Srinagar apologised after the administration disallowed girls wearing abayas — full-length Muslim dresses worn as a sign of their religion — from entering the premises.
School Apologises
Late on Thursday, Vishwa Bharti school’s principal Meemroze Shafi clarified that the administration had not banned the abaya but instead “politely conveys to the students to wear school uniform underneath it.”
While saying that the conversation was “misrepresented,” she apologised “unconditionally” if the sentiments of the students or their parents were hurt.
Quoted by Outlook India, the principal further said, “We told them to wear a long white-coloured Hijab or a large dupatta as that is part of the school uniform. They come wearing colourful abayas, with different designs which is not part of the uniform.”
Before issuing the statement, Shafi said that the administration would have obstructed their admission if wearing the abaya was an issue.
Wearing a Hijab should be a personal choice, and there should be no interference in matters of religious attire.
— Tanvir Sadiq (@tanvirsadiq) June 8, 2023
It is unfortunate to witness such incidents in a Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir.
We strongly oppose this and urge for immediate corrective action. This is the… pic.twitter.com/eOqjCBYOw4
Row After School’s Reported Ban
Early on Thursday, several female students launched protests saying they were not allowed to enter the school for wearing their abayas. The protestors said that the administration told them they would be barred from attending classes if they wore abayas.
One of the students cited by Indian Express said, “The principal told us that our dress is not proper and it is influencing other students of the school…We are being discriminated against because of our dress.”
They also said that as the school had recently opened to boys, they were uncomfortable with removing their abayas. When they raised concerns with the school, they were asked to “go to a madarasa.”
Following the protests, Principal Secretary of School Education Alok Kumar and Additional Director General of Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar went to the school premises to control the situation.
This resulted in political backlash, with former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti asserting that the students had the right to wear Islamic dress. She said that the school’s actions were an “interference” in the students’ “personal choices.”
She blamed the ruling BJP government for the controversy, saying that the party had first instigated the hijab row in Karnataka and was now doing the same in Jammu and Kashmir. She threatened, “This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated and will be fought with equal strength.”
However, the BJP’s media in-charge, Manzoor Bhat, supported the students, saying that “nobody can stop anybody from wearing a hijab or an abaya… everyone has the right to wear what he or she wants to wear.”