Burqa ban may backfire: Activists

MANGALORE: The move by a Mangalore college to ban the burqa in classrooms could end up forcing Muslim women to quit education, say rights groups. Others feel an express diktat was not required.
“The burqa is a cultural symbol for Muslim women. I don’t see any point in educational institutions putting a ban on it. The greatest fear is that if Muslim women are not allowed to wear the hijab or burqa, they will stop going to colleges.Already the literacy rate is low among women and this step will pull it down further. Whether covered full or half, women getting education is more important,” said Ruth Manorama, president of the National Alliance of Women. “Maybe in the long run, they will shun it on their own, but nobody has the right to impose such a rule.”
The fiat was imposed by the St Aloysius Pre-University College, as part of its prospectus for undergraduate students. “We were allowed to wear the hijab in classrooms and exam halls. We go to college in the burqa, but we remove it and enter the classroom, wearing our uniform and hijab. We have to abide by the college rules of the college,” said Kameez Fathima, a student of St Aloysius.
Janardhan Pai, director of Canara Pre-University College, said their institutions had already made uniforms compulsory for students in PU and degree classes. “We mention in the prospectus that a uniform is compulsory for all students. We don’t say burqa is banned in our institution, but students can enter classrooms only in uniform,” he added.
“Our college is very strict and no student is allowed sit in the classroom unless in uniform. Hence, the question of banning burqa doesn’t arise in our college,” said Kedarnath Shenoy, a student of Canara PU college.