Allahabad High Court Hijab Verdict: Asaduddin Owaisi Calls Decision An Attack On Islam

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised the Allahabad High Court’s decision dismissing a petition by a minor student from Prayagraj seeking permission to wear a hijab with her prescribed school uniform.

Addressing a Jalsa-e-Rahmatul-lil-Alameen gathering at the AIMIM headquarters in Darussalam on Tuesday, Owaisi termed the verdict an attack on Islam and questioned the court’s decision.

“I disagree with this High Court judgment; I do not concur with it. Today’s verdict violates Articles 25 and 19 of the Indian Constitution. Who are you to decide what is essential to Islam? Girls are wearing hijab on their heads, not on their minds. It is an attack on Islam,” he said

The High Court had observed that the petitioner failed to produce religious scripture or other material establishing that wearing a scarf was an essential part of her religion. It noted that photographs showed other students from the same religious community attending school without scarves.

Owaisi alleged that the RSS and BJP had historically preferred Manusmriti over the Constitution.

“I am asking those associated with the RSS about Manusmriti. Is it not true that on November 26, 1949, we adopted the Constitution? Four days later, on November 30, a mouthpiece of the RSS published a complaint against it, stating that it ‘wasn’t a Constitution at all and it should have been the Manusmriti’. They had issues with the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar,” Owaisi said.

Savarkar and Freedom Struggle

AIMIM president criticised Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar over his conduct during imprisonment in the Andaman Cellular Jail and contrasted it with Muslim freedom fighters.

“Savarkar supported Manusmriti. While imprisoned in Andaman, he was writing letters to the British, saying, ‘I am with you, please release me’. On the other hand, what were we (Muslims) doing? Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi was in jail; he endured hardships but never wrote a ‘love letter’ to the British. Instead, he issued a fatwa for Jihad against them. Even today, his grave stands in Andaman as a testament,” he asserted.

“Listen, BJP and RSS people, who was the first prisoner in Andaman? It was not your father or grandfather. It was Hyderabad’s Maulvi Alauddin, the Imam of Mecca Masjid. He was the first prisoner,” Owaisi told the gathering.

Uniform Civil Code

On the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, Assam and Gujarat, Owaisi questioned whether laws based on existing Hindu personal laws could be described as uniform.

“Uniform Civil Code has been implemented in Uttarakhand, Assam and Gujarat. But if the laws being enforced are essentially based on provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Divorce Act and Hindu Succession Act, then how can they genuinely be called a Uniform Civil Code? Why should these laws be imposed on Muslims when they are rooted in Hindu personal laws?” he said.

“Remember, attempts to distance us from our faith will, Insha Allah, fail. Those who profess faith in Islam will continue to follow the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. We will not abandon our Deen,” Owaisi said.

“We love this country, we will protect this country, and while remaining committed to our faith, we will work to make India a superpower. India’s freedom struggle belongs to those who sacrificed their lives for the country, including freedom fighters like Turrebaz Khan. Their sacrifices must not be forgotten,” he added.

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