Indonesian Ulema Urges India’s Government to Revoke Rules Banning Hijab

Jakarta, MINA – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deeply regrets the ban on the use of the hijab in several educational institutions in India. This action is considered as Islamophobia for Muslims there.

For the reason, the MUI urges the India’s government to respect the freedom for Muslims to carry out their religious teachings in accordance with their beliefs.

“The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deeply regrets the ban on wearing the hijab in a number of schools in India, especially in the state of Karnataka. This clearly reflects Islamophobia, hostility and hatred from the government towards its own people who are Muslim,” said Deputy General Chairperson of MUI Anwar Abbas in a written statement on Thursday.

He said the bad treatment received by Muslims in India has also hurt the hearts of Muslims in Indonesia as the country with the most Muslim population in the world.

MUI also asks the Indonesian government to take approaches so that the good relations between Indonesia and India that have been built so far are not damaged and disrupted by this incident.

“Because if such an event continues, it will be very detrimental to the interests of both countries, and we certainly don’t want this to happen,” he said.

In line with Buya Anwar Abbas, Chairman of the MUI Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Commission, Bunyan Saptomo, stated that the ban violates the principle of freedom to practice religious teachings contained in international law (Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Socio-cultural Rights) and the UN Convention Against Racial Discrimination).

“We call on the United Nations and the OIC to urge India to fulfill its obligations to protect the rights of Muslim minorities,” he told MINA.

Karnataka’s education minister, SM Nagesh, recently ordered that a school dress code be in place after reviewing court decisions from across the country to ban headscarves in educational institutions.

The government of Karnataka, where 12% of the population is Muslim and ruled by the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said in an order on 5 February that all schools must follow the prescribed dress code. by management.(T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)