Congress leaders, on Monday, 14 February, condemned Karnataka Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed's "regressive" statement on hijab amid the raging dispute over wearing of headscarves. The MLA had courted controversy by saying that there was a rise in the number of rapes in India because "several women don't wear hijab."
AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala stated that there was no place for "such regressive views" in modern India.
"Hijab means 'parda' (veil) in Islam. It is for hiding the beauty of girls when they come of age. Today, you can see that the rape rate is the highest in our country. What do you think is the reason for this? The reason is that several women don't wear hijab."Zameer Ahmed, Chamrajpet MLA had said earlier
The Controversial Statement
He said that while not everyone performed the namaz five times a day according to Islam, "if women wear hijab, the incidents of rape would come down."
"Few people among us do not wear hijab. It is not mandatory to wear hijab, however, I have asked our women to wear hijab for their safety. Please come to debate with me after getting the statistics of rape in the country,” Ahmed added.
The hijab controversy in Karnataka began in January, when six Muslim girls were denied entry into a Pre-University College in Udupi for wearing hijabs, stating it was against the college's uniform policy.
Congress Supports Right to Wear Hijab
The hijab row is now sub-judice in the Karnataka High Court.
Meanwhile, the Congress party extended support to the hijab-wearing girls, stating it was their right to wear the headscarf in this secular country.
The move to stop hijab-wearing students from entering classes was tantamount to 'robbing' them of their future, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said on 5 February.
"By letting students' hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India… Ma Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She doesn’t differentiate," he said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too had lent support to the protesting Muslim girls.
Congress MLA Slammed for Being 'Regressive'
Amit Malviya, the incharge of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) National Information & Technology Department, pointed out that while Priyanka Gandhi had said women should be free to wear whatever they want, the statement by Zameer Ahmed exposed the Congress' "utter disregard for women."
Netizens slammed the Congress MLA for his statement, terming it "regressive" and "chauvinistic."
Congress Leaders' Reactions
While Congress was criticised for the highly regressive comment by its Karnataka MLA, party spokesperson and AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala stated that there was no place for "such regressive views" in modern India.
"There is no place in modern India and our society for parochial and regressive views on women as expressed by a Congress leader of Karnataka."Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICC general secretary and spokesperson
He added that regressive and "dogmatic" statements like the "hijab prevents rapes" made by Ahmed were reserved for BJP leaders, "as seen in the past in outlandish remarks made by Yogi Adityanath, Manohar Lal Khattar" among others.
"India's women, irrespective of religion or caste, are representative of 'Shakti' from times immemorial. Women have made India proud in every sphere by their grit, independence and determination. Time has come for every such leader to change the conservative mindset," Surjewala said.
Congress president from Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, on Monday, 14 February, had also criticised his party MLA, saying that the party does not endorse or agree with the views on the Hijab row expressed by Khan.
"We will ask him not to issue any statements in this regard in future. We condemn those statements."Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Zameer Ahmed Khan's statements
The MLA's Apology
Initially, the MLA noted that what he stated were his personal opinions for which he was not apologetic.
"I have stated that hijab should be allowed. I have also said how a helmet (headgear) protects motorists, hijab keeps women safe," Khan retorted and continued, "I have not made any comments on women getting raped without hijab in the country. If the media is reporting something which I have not said, how can I be responsible?"
However, as pressure increased, Khan tweeted a 'sort-of' apology.
"I said that at least with burqa-hijab, we may be able to prevent rapes. It was not intended to hurt or disrespect anyone," he shared.
(With inputs from The News Minute)
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