Karnataka hijab row: Those who want to wear hijab can go to Pakistan, says BJP MP

Mysuru: Karnataka BJP MP Pratap Simha on Saturday kicked up a storm by stating that those advocating ‘Sharia laws’ should have gone to a separate nation (Pakistan) created during Partition.

He was referring to the ‘hijab’ row in the state while addressing a press conference.

“If you want to wear hijab, burka, traditional Muslim pants, wear them and go to madrassas. If you (Muslims) want everything according to your whims, you should have gone to another country carved out in 1947. Since you chose to stay back, you have to respect the culture of the land,” he asserted.

“To those who question worshipping of Saraswathi, Ganesh and wearing of bangles and vermillion (forehead marks), this is not British India. This is Bharat. The basic foundation of this land is Hinduism. We are not asking permission to wear vermillion bangles in Mecca, Madina or Jerusalem,” he said.

“The religions of Islam and Christianity which took birth in desert had come here seeking refuge. Once you seek refuge, you have to respect the culture of land. Islam and Christianity are foreign religions. You don’t have any right to question us (Hindus). In spite of 700 years of imposition of Islam culture, we have managed to preserve our culture. You (Muslims) swallowed Iran, Iraq and finished off Roman civilisation but you couldn’t finish ours,” he claimed.

Reiterating his stand, Pratap Simha said that the Muslims do not have any right to question. Though the Constitution has given equal rights to all but no one has the right to change the native culture. The Supreme Court has said that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. No one can question Hindu practices. “If you want to wear a hijab, wear it and go to madrassas instead of colleges, he added.”

Hijab row surfaced in the state after few Muslim students insisted on attending classes wearing a ‘hijab’ at a Pre-University College in Udupi district. They were denied entry. The students have approached the High Court and the ruling BJP government has set up a high level committee to look into the issue.

Meanwhile, the controversy row has spread to more colleges across the state triggering a communal turn as Hindu students have started attending classes with saffron shawls.

(IANS)