New Delhi, India

UNITED SIKHS stands with up for Muslim girls and women who are being forced to choose between wearing hijab (veil) while receiving education in the schools.

The hijab is worn globally by Muslim women in public places, including schools. It is appalling that India, a nation where many religions were founded, a nation which has felt the pain of religious intolerance, the same nation where Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Teg Bahadar Ji, attained martyrdom for religious freedom and human rights, has turned its back on these principles.

A government-run college in Karnataka state’s Udupi district introduced its ban on the hijab in December, saying the scarves violated school uniform rules. The hijab row started in January when six teenage girls were barred from classes for wearing the head covering which led to counter protests by Hindus thereby resulting into communal tensions in the State.

Tej Karan Kaur, UNITED SIKHS Attorney stated: “It is appalling that Universities, the places to attain education and enlightenment have been turned into the places of ‘exclusion’ and ‘discrimination’. The students should be taken into the future with education and uplifting, however, it seems they are being pushed into medieval times when they had no rights. This narrow-minded intolerance is not befitting to the India’s scholars”.

UNITED SIKHS follows the footsteps of our Gurus, and advocates for the rights of Muslims to practice their faith freely. According to Legal Director Harpreet Kaur, the UNITED SIKHS legal team has filed a complaint with the Indian National Human Rights Commission to take cognizance of this matter, as this is in contravention to the mandate of India’s constitution to protect the very basic right to practice one’s faith and the right to education.

On February 10, 2022, UNITED SIKHS sent a letter to the NHRC. The text of the letter can be found here.