International Women's Day

Hijab Row in India

The latest wave in the Hindu right’s targeted attacks against Muslim communities in India is the forcible ban on the hijab, the headscarf worn by Muslim girls and women across South Asia. In the south Indian state of Karnataka, right wing Hindu zealots have targeted and attacked female Muslim students who choose to wear the hijab in public spaces, including their schools and colleges. From a human rights and civil rights perspective, this attack on Hijab-wearing exemplifies entrenched Islamophobia and a gross violation of basic rights and dignity. How has the Indian media covered this issue? And what are the complexities underlying the hijab, from a critical feminist lens? Preeti Gamzeh talks to two feminists Kalpana Sharma, a veteran journalist and Huma Ahmad Ghosh, a feminist scholar. Editorial support by Ruhi Putta and technical support by Frank Sterling.