Monday, August 24, 2009

How are we different from other religious fundamentalists?

A 19-girl old girl from a Mangalore college was prevented from attending college because she wore a headscarf. I find this ridiculous to the point of it being revolting to my sensibilities.
What's more, the college officials kept saying on TV that it is a burqa, not a headscarf. Don't they know the difference between these? The girl gives interviews to TV with her face visible, looking straight into the camera, so obviously she is not wearing a burqa wherever she goes.

Actually, even if it IS burqa, so what?
I had heard of colleges banning dresses that they thought were provocative (although there can be endless arguements on who defines what is provocative.) But I had never heard of a college banning headscarves.
I think the college authorities are forgetting the basic reasons for their existence. Educational institutes are meant to impart knowledge and learning to the generation that would run our country in the next decades. What message is this college giving to the students?
I must be naive for not understanding this, so maybe some of the readers can help me out of my ignorance. But I really fail to understand how a headscarf becomes a religious symbol?
Some time back, there was this totally unnecessary controversy about the skirt length of Sania Mirza? Give me a break, please. What's more important - how she plays tennis or how long /short her skirt is? Same is true in this case. Would the college authorities look at the this girl as a student only and ignore that headscarf?

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