Amid criticism from global quarters over the hijab row, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday, 12 February, said that "motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome.”
In a statement, the MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "A matter regarding dress code in some educational institutions in the State of Karnataka is under judicial examination by the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka. Our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as our democratic ethos and polity, are the context in which issues are considered and resolved."
He added, "Those who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these realities. Motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome.”
This comes a day after the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (IRF) came out in support of the Muslim girls who were banned from attending college in Karnataka after they refused to take off their hijab, tweeting on 11 February that "religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire."
"The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatise and marginalise women and girls," Rashad Hussain said in the tweet.
Grounds of Karnataka's schools and colleges have become the site of religious uproar over the last few weeks, after a few Muslim girls in the state's Udupi district resisted an absolutist school 'policy' that barred them from entering a classroom wearing a hijab.
The Hijab row in Karnataka has escalated to the extent that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government, led by Basavaraj Bommai, decided to keep schools and colleges shut till the the Karnataka High Court contemplates the legal aspects of the matter.
Schools for children studying up to class 10 will open on Monday.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)