Bhopal: Ms Razia Masood, a Bhopal-based Social Activist who is associated with the Jamat-e-Islami Hind Women wing, has reacted strongly to the shameless incident wherein a Chief Minister of an Indian state publicly violated a Muslim woman’s personal space and attire by pulling off her “hijab” (a head covering worn in public by Muslim women).

Ms Razia Masood said that this would be unacceptable anywhere in the world, yet here, the crowd on stage, perhaps even including women, were laughing and celebrating this humiliation. This is a “New India” reveling in the worst aspects of its ‘freedom’.

Ms Razia asserted that India is a democratic country and the Indian Constitution states the following:-

Article 25 – Every citizen has the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate their religion; [The hijab is a part of religious belief and identity for Muslim women];

Article 19(1) (a) – Freedom of expression; [Wearing a hijab is a form of a woman’s personal expression and identity]

Article 21 – The Right to life and personal liberty. This includes dignity, privacy, and bodily autonomy.

BNS Section 74 – [Outraging the modesty and dignity of a woman]

BNS Section 299 – Deliberately hurting the religious feelings of any person.

BNS Section 76 – Unlawful and forceful interference with a woman’s privacy.

Forcing a woman to remove her hijab would be a violation of Articles 14, 19, 21, and 25.

Continuing Ms Razia said that every ceremony has a protocol that is communicated in advance. When a Chief Minister publicly pulls off a Muslim doctor’s hijab, it is not merely an act but a violation of a woman’s dignity, consent and religious freedom. Dr. Nusrat Parveen, who had come to receive her appointment letter, earned through her merit and hard work, and who deserved respect, had her identity made a spectacle on stage. Pointing to the hijab, then ordering its removal, and finally removing it with his own hands, is a blatant violation and insult not only to one woman but to all women’s freedom to choose their attire.

Even more appalling is that this act is being justified by claiming that the hijab creates an obstacle, whereas the hijab does not create an identity crisis but rather defines a Muslim woman’s identity, dignity & personal choice.

Her modesty and faith are an integral part of her identity and it is essential that these be respected. The right to wear clothing of one’s choice, including the hijab, is a matter of personal freedom and autonomy.

The Chief Minister’s reprehensible act has reached foreign media, tarnishing the country’s international image. In a system that calls a woman onto a stage only to leave her helpless and humiliated, a woman may be forced to work, but not with dignity, because nothing is more important than her self-respect. Dr. Nusrat’s decision to decline the government job is not a sign of weakness, but that of strength.

The vast majority of people, including politicians, Muslim leaders, women’s rights activists and civil society have slammed the act as “shameful” and have demanded concrete action, as this is not just a religious issue, but a matter of women’s safety, Razia asserted.

No position, no power, no politics gives anyone the right to violate a woman’s dignity. An apology alone will not be enough for this madness, she added.