Muslim women being humiliated, dehumanised in name of uniformity, law & order: Fraternity Movement
Says "HC's interim order not only problematic, but enabling apartheid against Muslim women"
Bengaluru: A delegation of Fraternity Movement which toured Karnataka from February 25-28 amidst the Hijab row in the state, has released its finding in light of the ban on Hijab in classrooms and college campuses that started in Coastal Karnataka.
The delegation, according to an official press statement, collected testaments and took stock of the situation after the state-wide Hijab ban and subsequent row.
In its findings, the delegation has added that the ban is a targeted hate crime aimed to disempower young Muslim women and segregate the students on the lines of religion.
“We have found that hundreds of Muslim women are expelled from attending classes in the state, following the court interim order, in prima facia violation of human rights. The interim order is not only problematic to the beliefs and practices of the Muslim community but in fact enabling apartheid against Muslim women. In the name of uniformity and law & order, they are being humiliated and dehumanised,” the press release stated.
It further added that Muslim women in the state are being put in “an unfortunate position” and are being made to make a choice between their education and faith, both of which the press statement termed as basic human rights.
“The brave Muslim students are unwilling to compromise on either. They are concerned that they are or will be missing their exams which is adding on the anxieties and insecurities that surround them. These are teenage students who are burdened to brave this herculean fight for their identity and dignity,” it added.
It also added that several Muslim male students they made were physically harassed and attacked by their classmates affiliated to Hindutva right wing groups adding that it was concerning how ABVP and other right-wing groups were reacting to the situation without any checks.
It also pointed how a young Muslim student Muskan Khan was being heckled by a group of Hindutva activists and students at the college campus in Madikeri, the video of which went viral creating shockwaves across the country.
“We all saw the video where Muskan was heckled by 30-40 odd hindu students radicaliesed by the RSS donning saffron stoles that surfaced from Mandya, Karnataka. As everyone moves on from the incident we want to stress that the situation is all the more tense and serious.
“The whole issue escalated only after members of the ABVP and other right wing outfits started a mobilization against hijab distributing saffron stoles and invoking Hindu supremacy. This incident is an example of the patterned way in which these organisations work,” it further added.
The delegation also slammed the state government over their inability to contain the situation and blamed the BJP ministers of furthering hate and Islamophobia. “The Karnataka BJP is trying to turn this issue of rights into international conspiracy. The Home Minister has also ordered a probe into the terror links into the matter. The stereotypical suspicion that surrounds muslims is being invoked to rob the marginalised off its humanity and dignity,” it stated.
“Local and regional media channels are further harassing and intimidating the affected Muslim students. They are violating not only media ethics but all moral ethics. Saffron television channels are using this incident to demonise and stereotype Muslims to manufacture a collective apathy that will further normalise attacks on Muslims and their religious practices.
“We found out that incidents of violence and physical assault in several districts especially in Shimoga are directly unleashed at the members of the Muslim community. The affected areas have been barricaded by police and section 144 has been imposed making it impossible to monitor the situation and intensity of violence. Several videos that came out are evidence that the police was silent onlooker of the attacks,” the press statement further added.
Listing out its demands after based on their findings during the visit, the Fraternity Movement added the Hijab ban should immediately be revoked along with the “discriminatory interim order” and demanded that the government should direct CDC and college administrations to ensure that students allowed to appear fo exams that they have missed or that may be miss because of the ban.
It also called for arrangement of law enforcement for the safe and dignified return of Muslim students to schools and colleges while all FIRs filed on the protesting Muslim students should also be withdrawn.
Among the other demands of the Fraternity Movement were police action against the right-wing outfits and pro-Hindutva students who were involved in communalising the matter and heckling Muslim women, impartial probe into the violence that broke out in Shivamogga and other areas and action against the culprits while also providing compensation to those who have incurred property loss during the violence.
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MP minister's veiled remark on Col Sofia Qureshi sparks major row; he apologises, Cong seeks ouster
Bhopal/Indore, May 13 (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Vijay Shah has sparked a major controversy with objectionable comments that appeared to be directed at Col Sofia Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists."
Under severe flak, Shah said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.
The Congress has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Shah from the Madhya Pradesh cabinet.
Colonel Qureshi had conducted regular press briefings, sharing details of the 'Operation Sindoor' launched by Indian armed forces to strike terrorists, joined by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.
"Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters (in the Pahalgam terror attack)..We avenged these 'kate-pite' people by sending their sister to destroy them," Shah said.
"They (terrorists) killed our Hindu brothers by making them remove their clothes. PM Modi ji responded by sending their (terrorists') sister in an Army plane to strike them in their houses. They (terrorists) made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson", the BJP leader said while addressing a gathering in Ramkunda village near Indore.
He said, "Revenge was taken for the honour of our country (India), respect, and for the (slain) husbands of our sisters by sending a sister from your (terrorists') community to Pakistan".
The tribal welfare minister clarified that his remarks should not be construed otherwise.
Shah's remarks drew wide-scale condemnation, with Congress demanding his immediate dismissal from the MP cabinet.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said Shah, who made 'derogatory' remarks in reference to Colonel Sofia Qureshi, should be dismissed immediately.
"A minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made a very derogatory, shameful and cheap remark about our brave daughter Colonel Sofia Qureshi. The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united during the entire 'Operation Sindoor' to give a befitting reply to the terrorists," Kharge posted on X.
He alleged that the BJP-RSS harbours an anti-women mentality.
"First, the wife of the naval officer martyred in Pahalgam was trolled on social media, then the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was harassed, and now the BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our brave woman Sophia Qureshi," Kharge said and appealed to PM Modi to immediately sack Shah.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari shared the video of Shah on X and asked whether the BJP agrees with the minister's "low thinking"?
The MP Congress Committee alleged that Shah's "indecent' and hate-filled" statement is not just a personal attack, but an open attack on India's military dignity, national unity, and women's honour.
Amid the raging controversy, the BJP's Madhya Pradesh general secretary Hitanand Sharma summoned Shah to the state headquarters in Bhopal.
According to sources, Sharma reprimanded the minister, who also met the state BJP president, Vishnu Dutt Sharma.
Speaking to reporters, Shah sought to attribute the intemperate remarks to his "disturbed" state of mind in view of the brutal killing of innocent people in Pahalgam by terrorists.
He claimed many members of his family have a military background and many were martyred.
"Sister Sophia has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister. I salute her for her service to the nation.
"We cannot even think of insulting her in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and religion, then I am ready to apologise ten times,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Manoj Shukla and the party workers blackened the nameplate of Shah at his bungalow and raised slogans seeking his resignation.
'हमारी सेना की जांबाज बेटियां आतंकवादियों की बहन हैं'
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 13, 2025
- ये घटिया बात मध्य प्रदेश में BJP सरकार के मंत्री विजय शाह ने कही है।
भारत की जिन बेटियों पर सबको नाज है, उन बेटियों को लेकर ये शर्मनाक बयान दिया गया है। उन्हें आतंकवादियों की बहन बताया गया है।
ये हमारी पराक्रमी सेना का… pic.twitter.com/y591M3ky8G
