India's Karnataka state to shut schools after 'hijab ban' triggers protests

Also: India: Malala weighs into Karnataka hijab row (BBC)

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Source: Reuters

February 8, 2022
10:29 AM EST
Last Updated 13 hours ago

India's Karnataka state to shut schools after 'hijab ban' triggers protests

By Sudarshan Varadhan and Chandini Monnappa

NEW DELHI, Feb 8 (Reuters) - India's southern Karnataka state has ordered schools and colleges to shut for three days, its chief minister said on Tuesday, after protests erupted in response to some schools refusing entry to students wearing the hijab.

Local media reported last week that several schools in the coastal city of Udupi had denied entry to Muslim girls wearing the hijab citing an education ministry order, prompting protests from parents and students.

Tensions have frayed further in recent days in Udupi and elsewhere in majority Hindu Karnataka as students with saffron shawls - typically worn by Hindus - thronged into classrooms to show their support of their schools' hijab ban.

"I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony," Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-karnataka-state-shut-schools-after-hijab-ban-triggers-protests-2022-02-08/

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Source: BBC

India: Malala weighs into Karnataka hijab row

9 February 2022

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has spoken out in support of six Indian students fighting for their right to wear the hijab in class.

The teens have been protesting in Karnataka state for weeks, drawing attention to a college's ban on hijabs - described by Malala as "horrifying".

The row has spread and inflamed religious tensions within the state, with clashes reportedly breaking out.

Schools have been closed for three days as a result.

The dispute has also made national headlines in India, and has now reached the state's high court.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-60312864