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KOCHI: A delegation of Muslim organisation leaders led by Kerala Mahallu Coordination Committee chief coordinator T A Mujeeb Rehman met the family of the student who was denied permission to wear hijab at school and the management of St Rita's Public School in Palluruthy on Saturday in an effort to solve the issue amicably. According to Mujeeb Rehman, the parent was firm on his decision to shift the school as he felt that continuing in the same school will only fan communal divide. "We talked to the sisters at the St Rita's School also, but they expressed helplessness as it was the decision of the Church," he said. The Ernakulam district Mahallu Coordination Committee urged the authorities to end the row ensuring justice to all. "We are of the opinion that the fundamental rights of a student should not be denied. We accept the right of the management to enforce uniform dress code. But the management should have given permission to the student to wear a headscarf. The statement of a teacher that wearing hijab creates fear among other students is regrettable. The education department should initiate steps to implement the government stand in this issue. There has not been any attempt from the part of the Mahallu committee or the community to create communal divide," said working chairman Sherief Puthenpura. Kerala Muslim Jamaath Ernakulam district committee said the hijab row is a blot on Kerala's tradition of cultural diversity.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday firmly defended the government's decision to introduce Zumba in schools, amid mounting opposition from several Muslim organisations. Calling the backlash an expression of "majoritarian communal tendencies," Sivankutty reaffirmed that Zumba would continue as a part of physical activity programmes in state-run schools. "When several states protested against the hijab, we took a progressive stand. But now, some organisations are promoting conservative views under the garb of cultural protection," Sivankutty remarked ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) YouTuber Samay Raina appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in Delhi on Tuesday, months after he was summoned in connection with allegedly offensive and sexist content aired during his show "India's Got Latent", officials said. Raina was also among the five social media influencers who appeared before the Supreme Court in a case seeking action against them for ridiculing persons suffering from disabilities. Raina submitted his statement in response to the allegations to NCW officials. Officials said further steps will be considered after reviewing his ...Read More >
The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the state government to clarify its stand on a plea filed by a church-run school that is challenging an Education Department order allowing a Muslim girl student to wear a headscarf, or hijab, in class. Justice VG Arun directed the government counsel to come prepared with instructions regarding the claims made in the petition. The matter is now posted for further hearing on October 24. The case involves St Rita's Public School, a CBSE-affiliated minority in ...Read More >
LUCKNOW: In response to the Hijab controversy created by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party national spokesperson and daughter of noted poet late Munawwar Rana, Sumaiyya Rana, submitted a written complaint at Lucknow's Kaiserbagh police station against CM and UP fisheries minister Sanjay Nishad, seeking legal action over their alleged objectionable conduct and remarks. In her complaint, Sumaiyya Rana cited social media visuals showing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar trying to remove a woman's hijab while giving her appointment letter stating that the incident led to widespread resentment among Musl ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (VOICE) The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders of the Apex Court. A Special Bench headed by CJI Sajiv Khanna asked the Union government to file within four weeks its reply to the clutch of petitions challenging the validity of the 1991 Act, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. The Bench, also c ...Read More >
Srinagar, Dec 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday drew parallels between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent act of touching a Muslim woman's hijab and a past election-related controversy in Jammu and Kashmir involving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, terming both incidents a manifestation of a "regressive mindset". Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said such episodes were not isolated and recalled an incident from an earlier election when, he alleged, a woman voter's burqa was removed inside a polling station. "We have witnessed this earlier as ...Read More >
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 15 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Tuesday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, seeking his immediate intervention in an incident of alleged religious discrimination faced by Kashmiri female students at a nursing college in Bengaluru. The students, who wear the hijab or burkha in accordance with their religious beliefs, have reportedly been barred from attending classes and threatened with expulsion by the management of Sri Soubhagya Lalitha College of Nursing, affiliated with the Rajiv Gandhi University of Heal ...Read More >
In the letter, the association said the Kashmiri women students have been systematically targeted. This incident follows the 2022 Karnataka hijab ban, currently under Supreme Court review after a split verdict. Bengaluru: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Tuesday, July 15 wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stating that Muslim students wearing hijab were barred from attending classes and threatened with expulsion at a Bengaluru college. The alleged case of rel ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): Petitioners have welcomed the Supreme Court's interim order staying certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and a petitioner, said that many of the points raised, including issues related to "Waqf by User" and protection of monuments, have been accepted by the court. "To a large extent, our point has been accepted. Our point on 'Waqf by User' has been accepted. Along with this, our point on protected monuments has also been accepted, that there will be no third-part ...Read More >
Kochi (AsiaNews) - The controversy began after St. Rita's Public School in Palluruthy, run by the Latin Catholic Church, refused to allow a student to wear the hijab. In the days that followed, referring to Muslim organisations, an editorial in the Catholic daily Deepika said: 'Those who asked for prayer rooms in Christian schools have now come forward to claim the right to wear the hijab.' This has led to harsh criticism, a sign of the interreligious tension that the affair is causing in Kerala. The student at the centre of the hijab controversy in Kerala has finally decided to leave school. ...Read More >
Mufti called the incident shocking and deeply disturbing. Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi came down heavily on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday over the controversial hijab incident. Mehbooba Mufti criticised Nitish Kumar sharply over a controversial incident in which he was seen pulling down the hijab of a young Muslim woman. Mufti called the incident shock ...Read More >
Alappuzha/Idukki/Kochi (Kerala), Apr 4 (PTI) Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday raised the alleged attacks on minorities in Manipur and Chhattisgarh during his election campaign in central Kerala districts, and claimed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was aligned with forces behind such incidents. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha addressed multiple election rallies in Alappuzha, Kattappana in Idukki district, and Fort Kochi and Kunnathunad in Ernakulam district ahead of the April 9 Assembly election. His remarks on attacks on minorities come amid concerns expressed by ...Read More >
Bengaluru, June 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Karnataka BJP on Saturday welcomed the Central Government's decision to hand over the sensational murder case of Hindu activist Suhas Shetty to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order in this regard on Saturday. The Karnataka BJP unit had vehemently demanded an NIA probe, alleging that the Congress-led government in Karnataka was hushing up the case. Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka and State President B.Y. Vijayendra had questioned why the investigation officers had not yet bothered to investigate the rol ...Read More >
Kozhikode (Kerala): The Kerala government on Saturday stood firm in its decision to introduce Zumba dance in state schools as part of its anti-drug campaign, saying the opposition to it is "more venomous than narcotic substance". Explaining the government's stance over the matter here, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a section of people are deliberately creating issues over the matter and nothing harmful for children is being implemented. Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty's Statement "The government is ready to hold talks with those who have misunderstandings in th ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Jul 7 (PTI) AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday engaged in a war of words on social media, with the former slamming the BJP leader over his statement that India is the only country where the minorities get more benefits and protections than the majority community, saying minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity. The Hyderabad MP, in a post on 'X', said, "You are a Minister of the Indian Republic, not a monarch. @KirenRijiju You hold a constitutional post, not a throne. Minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity." "India's m ...Read More >
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin on Monday hailed the Supreme Court's interim order staying key provisions of the Union... Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin on Monday hailed the Supreme Court's interim order staying key provisions of the Union government's amended Waqf Act. In a statement posted on X, Stalin said the verdict was "a historic affirmation that constitutional rights and religious freedoms cannot be trampled upon by arbitrary laws". The apex court's ruling came in response to petitions filed by the DMK and other organisations challeng ...Read More >
Kochi: The church-run public school in Palluruthy here, where a dispute arose over a student wearing a hijab, will approach the Kerala High Court against the Deputy Director of Education's (DDE) report alleging lapses on the part of the institution. Joshi Kaithavalappil, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president of St Rita's Public School, told PTI that the DDE's report was submitted without a proper inquiry. "We have decided to approach the Kerala High Court against the report. It was prepared without hearing from the school management or the PTA properly or assessing the situation. Our ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
Srinagar: In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in a continued assault on religious freedom, the New Delhi-imposed administration barred Kashmiri Muslims from offering the Eid-ul-Adha prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid and Eidgah in Srinagar. According to Radio Pakistan, the ban was enforced by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration on the instructions of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. This continues a repressive pattern, as Eid prayers have been barred at Jamia Masjid and Eidgah since 2019, the year the Modi government revoked the special status of IIOJK. This m ...Read More >
Bengaluru: A physics lecturer from a private college in Dakshina Kannada and two of his friends have been arrested by Bengaluru police for allegedly blackmailing and raping a student.When the mental torture by the trio became intolerable, the girl narrated to her parents how she was being exploited. Subsequently, she went to Marathahalli police station along with her parents on July 5 and lodged a complaint seeking action against the perpetrators. Acting swiftly, the cops arrested the trio the following day. The accused are Narendra, a physics lecturer, Sandeep, a biology lecturer -- both work ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
The Supreme Court will decide Monday on pleas to stay the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih reserved the order on May 22. The Act, which amends the Waqf Act 1995, has sparked controversy over its effects on Muslim institutions. The Supreme Court is set to pronounce its decision on applications seeking a stay on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, on Monday (September 15). A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih had reserved the order on May 22. T ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar invited criticism from the opposition on Tuesday after he pulled off a woman doctor's hijab at a graduation ceremony. Opening himself up to more questions about his mental health a month after taking oath as the Bihar chief minister for the 10th time, Kumar was seen in a widely shared video clip as pulling a hijab down from the woman's face during a government event in Patna. The video clip shows the 74-year-old politician handing a certificate to an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) doctor during the event on Mon ...Read More >
Ahmedabad, April 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, on Saturday, rejected allegations that his party acts as a proxy for the BJP and criticised the Congress for failing to effectively counter the ruling party, during his visit to Gujarat. Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Owaisi said: "I am not a B-team of the BJP. I am the original 'M' team -- the team of the marginalised, not just minorities", asserting that AIMIM represents underrepresented sections of society. Questioning the Congress, the AIMIM Chief added, "Why is ...Read More >
The Supreme Court's decision to constitute a nine-judge bench for the Sabarimala review is not merely a procedural step to revive a long-pending constitutional reference. It is also a telling administrative signal from Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant -- one that brings together a carefully balanced cross-section of the court in terms of gender, religion, caste and regional representation to adjudicate a deeply sensitive dispute at the intersection of faith and fundamental rights. Notifie ...Read More >
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad triggered a fresh political storm with his remarks on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent act of pulling down the hijab of a Muslim woman during a public event. Nishad, whose NISHAD Party is part of the BJP led NDA in Uttar Pradesh, questioned the criticism directed at Nitish Kumar and made comments that were widely described as insensitive. In an interview to a news outlet, he said that the chief minister's hands had only touched the woman's face and wondered what would have happened had his hands touched somewhere else. The remar ...Read More >
Mumbai: Bombay high court refused to direct the Central Adoption Resource Agency (Cara) to approve the adoption of an American child by an Indian Muslim couple. It observed that neither the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act nor the Adoption Regulations allow the adoption of a child of foreign citizenship unless the child is 'in need of care and protection' or 'in conflict with law.'"There is no fundamental right of the petitioners to adopt an American child, which child does ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the entire Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, but put on hold certain provisions pending the final adjudication of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Act. A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih observed that some sections of the amended Act need some protection. Passing the interim order, the bench stayed the provision in the Act that a person should be a practitioner of Islam for five years to create a Waqf. It said the provision will be stayed till rules ...Read More >
MALAPPURAM: The Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar has launched a sharp attack on the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leadership for their silence over the ongoing hijab controversy. In a strongly worded article in Siraj Daily, SYS general secretary Rahmatulla Saqafi Elamaram accused senior Congress leaders of turning a blind eye to what he called "a blatant denial of the Muslim community's fundamental rights." Saqafi alleged that Congress MP Hibi Eden had even "threatened" the parents of the student at the centre of the dispute and asked the child to ...Read More >
Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hit out at his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, calling his act of removing the veil of a Muslim woman in full public glare 'shameful', saying this incident shows Kumar's real face, who was once seen as a secular leader. He, however, blamed the former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti for setting the precedent of lifting the burqa of a woman in elections. "We have seen such incidents earlier as well here. During my election, people may have forgotten that Mehbooba Mufti got a legitimate voter's burqa removed inside a ...Read More >