Former Vice-Chancellor Prof Jalees Ahmed Khan Tareen urged all Muslim girls to follow the law of the land and attempt the upcoming second Pre-University exams without involving themselves in the hijab controversy that continues to rage on in Karnataka.
Prof Tareen is the former Vice-Chancellor of Kashmir University, Pondicherry University and even BS Abdur Rahman University in Chennai. He is also a former member of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Attempting exams is in the interest of the students, community as well as the generations that are yet to come, shared the professor. Instead of expending all their energy on deliberating over rights and laws, which anyway would have taken its course, leaders from the political and religious arena should have come forward to advise the girl students about making their future prospects better.
The professor reminded the girls that lost time won't come back and if they are absent from exams, it is they who will be affected directly, not their community leaders. He went on to say that they will trigger emotions, but will not offer any help.
He advised against wearing hijab in the classrooms or exam halls and asked the students not to think that the hijab cannot be removed at all and that it is mandatory. He then cited examples where one has to remove the hijab, instances like while going for biometrics of Aadhaar card, passport office procedures, consulting a male doctor and so on.
This appeal from the professor was for all Muslim girl students. He said that they should not step back from classes or exams, or even from higher education, because of the government-imposed hijab restrictions.
