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Motivated comments on internal issues not welcome’: India after US official remark on hijab row

This comes a day after US ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain said that hijab bans in schools “violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls”.

A day after US ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom (IRF) Rashad Hussain said that hijab bans in schools “violate religious freedom”, India on Saturday hit back by saying that “motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome”.

In response to media queries on India’s reaction to comments by some countries on dress code in some educational institutions in Karnataka, the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a statement 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. Those who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these realities. Motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome,” he added.

On Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Melbourne and the two leaders reviewed the efforts to strengthen cooperation bilaterally and through the Quad grouping in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

Hussain, who has served as US Special Envoy of President Barack Obama to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was recently appointed as the US envoy for international religious freedom by the Biden administration.

Hussain had on Friday said that “Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing” and Hijab bans in schools “violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls”.

In a tweet, he stated, “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 stigmatize and marginalize women and girls.”

Born in the US, Hussain studied at the Yale Law School and also earned his Master’s degrees in Public Administration (Kennedy School of Government) and Arabic and Islamic Studies from Harvard University. His father hailed from Bihar.

Earlier, Pakistan had also raised the issue of the hijab row and summoned the Indian diplomat in Islamabad to convey its concern on the developments in Karnataka.