Hijab Politics in India as Revolution Rages in Iran | UnBreak the News with Prema Sridevi | Ep:100

Indian television debates hit their lowest point recently when a news channel linked hijab-supporting panellists with the terrorist group – Al Qaeda. The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) pulled up the Hindi channel and its anchor and imposed a fine of 50,000 rupees on the broadcaster. 

Tens of thousands of women are risking their lives in Iran to keep the anti-hijab protests alive. The fearless women who have given birth to a revolution against the country’s “morality police” are facing bullets, batons and arrests over the anti-hijab protests. The three words – women, life, freedom have become a rallying cry for people in Iran and beyond who are fighting for justice for Mahsa Amini, who was killed in custody by the morality police. 

But in India, the Hijab debate has been turned into a communal Hindu vs Muslim issue by many. TV channels have made a mockery of this sensitive issue, and politicians have resorted to hijab politics. Prema Sridevi UnBreaks this News for you!

(Produced below are the abridged version of the transcripts of the video explainer from Episode: 100 | UnBreak the News with Prema Sridevi | Title: Hijab Politics in India as Revolution Rages in Iran)

Indian television debates hit their lowest point recently when a news channel linked hijab-supporting panellists with the terrorist group – Al Qaeda. The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) pulled up the Hindi channel and its anchor and imposed a fine of 50,000 rupees on the broadcaster.

But in India, the Hijab debate has been turned into a communal Hindu vs Muslim issue by many. TV channels have made a mockery of this sensitive issue, and politicians have resorted to hijab politics. Let’s UnBreak this News!

In a debate shown on News 18 India in the month of April, the tv channel used the terms – “Hijabi Gang”, “Hijabwali Gazwa Gang”, and the “Zawahiri Gang” to describe the students who were protesting in support of hijab. The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) denounced both the channel and the anchor for turning such a sensitive issue into a communal one. 

In a statement, the NBDSA said: “NBDSA strongly deprecated the tendency of the broadcaster to associate those panellists who were in favour of wearing hijab by the students with Zawahiri and labelling them as ‘Zawahiri gang member’, ‘Zawahiri’s ambassador’, ‘Zawahiri is your god, you are his fan’. NBDSA also did not find any justification in linking those panellists or persons who were supporting Hijab with Al Qaeda by airing tickers stating ‘#AlqaedaGangExposed’, ‘Hijab ka fata poster, nikla Al Qaeda, ‘Al Zawahiri found behind the hijab’, and ‘Alqaeda has planned the hijab controversy’…”

In Telangana, recently, a controversy erupted over a college asking Hindu women to remove their mangalsutra and bangles before entering the exam centre. In this case, some media channels were seen highlighting why hijab-clad women were not asked to remove their veils before entering the examination centre.

The Hijab controversy has been raging in India for months. The Supreme Court this month failed to deliver a verdict on whether Muslim students can sport a Hijab in educational institutions, as judges hearing the case had different views. The judges have requested the Chief Justice of India to recommend the matter to a larger bench. But for months, politicians in India have been polarising people in the name of hijab.

On the other hand, a few days ago, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi was spotted saying, “If not in my lifetime, then after my death, one day a hijab-clad woman will be the Prime Minister of our country. Inshallah! This will happen… You are asking us why are you people wearing a hijab. You are saying do not wear a hijab. If not a hijab, then what should be worn… Bikini?”

While communal politics over hijab continues in India, back in Iran, tens of thousands of women continue to fight against the morality police in their country. The three words – women, life and freedom, have become synonymous with the protests. The women have been protesting since the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of Iran’s morality police. She was arrested for not wearing a Hijab in accordance with government standards. The protesting women have been braving bullets, batons and arrests.

Mahsa Amini’s death has given rise to a revolution which is led and inspired by women who want change. This revolution has united people across countries, ethnicities and generations. But the grotesque nature of discourse on the topic of the Hijab in India has narrowed the scope for any meaningful dialogue on the subject. While Iranian women brave extraordinary risks to keep the flame of the revolution alive, the polarising debate back in India threatens to disrupt our social fabric. The debate is on in India on whether hijab should be seen as a matter of personal choice or as a religious compulsion. Sadly, this discourse has been hijacked by many politicians and media persons who are using hijab politics and the Iranian revolution to spew hatred against one another.