Amid the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka, five IIM Bangalore faculty members Friday wrote to the National Commission for Women (NCW) saying that “intimidation of Muslim women based on religious attire” could jeopardise their safety and dignity and impede their access to education.
IIM Bangalore faculty members, Hema Swaminathan, Ritwik Banerjee, Deepak Malghan, Dalhia Mani and Prateek Raj, who are the signatories of the letter, stressed that while they do not condone patriarchal restrictions across religions, “to single out one religious practice is not acceptable.”
“As you must be aware, evidence globally and from India shows that education is the most effective tool for women empowerment and broader social development. The atmosphere of fear and intimidation will make parents hesitate to send daughters to schools and colleges. ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ will be an abject failure, not just for Muslim girls, but for girls across all communities. Failure of law and rule of intimidation affect everyone,” states the letter addressed to NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma.
Swaminathan, who is a Professor at the Centre for Public Policy, told The Indian Express that they chose to write to the NCW as it is meant to safeguard the rights of women. “Women in general are subject to restrictions and they should not be pushed back further. Also, we need to reclaim plurality,” Swaminathan, whose work interests include analysing inequality using a gender perspective, said.
The letter also urges the NCW to exercise its powers and urgently take suo moto cognizance of reports of intimidation of Muslim women students in Karnataka. “Women across all religions face patriarchal restrictions of one kind or the other. Certainly, we cannot condone such practices and we must work with men, women, and religious leaders to bring about a change. But to single out one religious practice is not acceptable,” it says.
Amid the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka, five IIM Bangalore faculty members Friday wrote to the National Commission for Women (NCW) saying that “intimidation of Muslim women based on religious attire” could jeopardise their safety and dignity and impede their access to education. IIM Bangalore faculty members, Hema Swaminathan, Ritwik Banerjee, Deepak Malghan, Dalhia Mani and Prateek Raj, who are the signatories of the letter, stressed that while they do not condone patriarchal restrictions across religions, “to single out one religious practice is not acceptable.” “As you must be aware, evidence globally and from India shows that education is the most effective tool for women empowerment and broader social development. The atmosphere of fear and intimidation will make parents hesitate to send daughters to schools and colleges. ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ will be an abject failure, not just for Muslim girls, but for girls across all communities. Failure of law and rule of intimidation affect everyone,” states the letter addressed to NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma. Swaminathan, who is a Professor at the Centre for Public Policy, told The Indian Express that they chose to write to the NCW as it is meant to safeguard the rights of women. “Women in general are subject to restrictions and they should not be pushed back further. Also, we need to reclaim plurality,” Swaminathan, whose work interests include analysing inequality using a gender perspective, said. The letter also urges the NCW to exercise its powers and urgently take suo moto cognizance of reports of intimidation of Muslim women students in Karnataka. “Women across all religions face patriarchal restrictions of one kind or the other. Certainly, we cannot condone such practices and we must work with men, women, and religious leaders to bring about a change. But to single out one religious practice is not acceptable,” it says.