On Thursday, 8th June 2023, girl students of the Vishwa Bharti Girls Higher Secondary School in Rainawari of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir protested against the school administration alleging that the school instructed girls not to wear Abaya (long robe) in the classroom. However, the school’s principal has stated that the school is not banning Abaya, but only asking the girl students to wear uniforms with a matching Hijab.
The principal clarified that as the girls were wearing abays of different colours and designs, the school is asking them to wear hijabs instead that match the existing uniform. She also said that the girls can wear abaya but they have to wear the school uniform under it, and they will have to remove the abaya after reaching the school. Principal Memroz Shafi added that the girls have been asked to bring a long Hijab or Chadar, preferably white, to wear over the uniform while in school to cover their bodies as per Islamic rules.
In a clarification statement issued on 8th June 2023, the principal of the Vishwa Bharti Girls Higher Secondary School said, “That it has been running on social media that female students have been directed not to wear Abaya (long robe) which is totally baseless and misrepresented. The School Management always respects the sentiments of all the sections of the society vis a vis the dress code.”
The statement further said, “It is clarified that no ban has been imposed by the School Principal or the Management on wearing Abaya but it was politely conveyed to the students to wear the School Uniform underneath the Abaya. It is for the information of all the students that they can wear the Abaya and no such restrictions have been imposed in the classrooms.”
The principal further said in the statement, “Today’s conversation with the students and the parents has been misrepresented and in any case, if it has hurt the sentiments of the students or the parents, I unconditionally apologise for the same.”
A group of female students from Vishwa Bharti (VB) Girls Higher Secondary School in Rainawari recently organized a protest on Thursday, expressing their grievances over being denied entry to the school due to wearing the Hijab. According to the students, they were informed that if they wished to wear the Hijab, they should attend a “Madrasa” instead.
In response, the school administration clarified that they were not opposed to the Hijab, but rather expected students to adhere to the school’s dress code. The protesting students claimed that the school authorities had explicitly instructed them not to wear the Hijab and even requested them to refrain from wearing their abayas while coming to school. It is notable that the school has recently started coeducation.
According to reports, one of the protesting girls said, “Why should we take off the Abaya? I don’t love this school more than my God that I will take off this Abaya. I will never take my Abaya off, there are so many boys in the college and there is so much immorality going on which is invisible to their eyes and asking us to take off the Abaya.”
She added, “Who is she (administration official) to tell us to take the Abaya off? She asked us to go to a Dargah (Religious School) if we wish to wear an Abaya. Don’t the girls who wear Abayas get the same education as everyone else?”
Memroz Shafi, the principal of Vishwa Bharti (VB) School, clarified that wearing Abayas was permitted after the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained that for some time, only a few girls wore Abayas to school, but recently, girls from lower classes began wearing Abayas, disregarding the school’s uniform dress code. She that even though the school has its own dress code, some girls also wear ‘Abaya’, and they have never been stopped from doing that.
She said, “Nobody is asking them to remove abayas. They can leave home and reach the school wearing abaya without any restrictions, there should be no doubt about that. We told them to put aside that abaya when they reach the school. We have told them to bring along a long hijab that will cover them well up to their knees. They are also given an option of a Chador. Hijab is the most comfortable as compared to abayas and other things because we want all of them to wear a uniform. They come wearing abayas of different colors and designs which cannot be allowed in the school. I asked these girls to bring a white hijab that will cover them well up to their knees so that it looks uniform.”
“We will announce a proper colour and pattern of ‘Abaya’ for all those students who want come to school wearing the same. We are not allowing colourful Abayas to be followed in the institution” she further said.
According to the principal, the school instructed these girls to remove their Abayas for the day, as per the dress code. However, the girls expressed their discomfort with this. In response to the girls’ concerns, the school made arrangements to accommodate their preference for wearing the Hijab.
The Principal further mentioned that in consideration of the student’s wishes, the school did not accept admission requests from outsiders and instead directed them to schools that allowed the Hijab.
The hijab ban controversy was sparked in Karnataka in January 2022. The Karnataka High Court pronounced its decision that the school can impose uniforms on the educational premises.