On November 6, Muslim women in Kerala burnt hijab to express solidarity with the anti-hijab movement in Iran. The hijab-burning incident took place during a seminar organised by Kerala Yukthivadi Sangam titled ‘Fanos-Science and Free thinking’. The seminar took place in Kozhikode.
As a part of the event, a hijab was burnt by six women in support of Iranian women protesting against the Islamic theocracy’s strict diktats on wearing the veil.
Reportedly, this is the first such event reported in India where a hijab was burnt to express solidarity with women protesting over the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian women whose death after being held by ’morality police’ triggered a wave of uprising seen in decades in the Islamic country.
The members of the organisation raised slogans and held placards expressing solidarity with women protesting against the enforced hijab in Iran. The organisation is known for organising seminars that revolve around free thinking.
The Iranian anti-hijab protests
The anti-hijab protests in Iran started after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody. She was picked by the moral police and received a beating for not wearing a hijab properly. The death of Amini sparked outrage across the country with women removing their hijab and calling for freedom from enforced hijab.
Pro-hijab movement in India
Women from across the world have come forward to express their solidarity with the women of Iran raising their voices against the hijab. However, in India, an opposite scenario has been running since early this year as Muslim college students from Karnataka have been demanding to let them wear hijab in college. On the contrary, the college administration was adamant about not allowing hijab. The state government stepped in and said as per regulations it cannot be allowed. The matter went to Karnataka High Court which upheld the government’s decision. The case is under trial in the Supreme Court.