The Udupi Burqa debate is one of the many cases which makes us paranoid over the course of Feminism in the 21st century. Supposedly Intellectual voices who usually stick their necks out to stand up against patriarchy on every issue under the sun, have now chosen silence ‘in solidarity’ with the Burqa-clad college aspirants. The worldview that often likes to paint itself libertarian, has kept itself busy at inventing new justifications for the centuries-old oppressive urges to cover the woman’s body.

While the school authorities are standing up to their decision of not allowing religious identities to take over the school uniform, The Burqa-clad girls too have made their priorities clear – “Hijab is our first priority, studies the second” The girls are being joined by the Arfa Khanums and Rana Aayubs of the world, who with their Islamist indoctrinations mince no words while convincing the world that wearing a Burqa or a Hijab is a matter of individual liberty. Sadly, for them to realise that Individual freedoms are bound by protocols of secular institutions, and their attempts to communalise them by wearing religious identities on sleeves will go unchallenged, comes from their rose-tinted tunnel vision of sharia complied world.

It was also time for Malala, to get up from nowhere and talabanise the institution in Udupi with her 280-character ‘solidarity’ on Twitter. She wants the girls to give up the college uniform and follow orthodox practices which she herself fought against the Taliban. According to her standing up against the Hijab, will lead to the objectification of women.

“College is forcing us to choose between studies and the hijab”.

Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women. https://t.co/UGfuLWAR8I

— Malala (@Malala) February 8, 2022

Amidst all the solidarity jargon, what stands out are the voices of those women who come fiercely while making sense of the pure fact that face veils have no place in a 21st-century society. While the Individuality of a woman for her will to wear the hijab can be used to validate Islamism, it can also be respected at times when she chooses to ditch the patriarchy instead. The voices of women from the community who have refused to perpetuate and generalise adamant misogynistic attitudes are somehow never pedestaled when they speak for themselves. Moreover, it has been observed, particularly in the hijab debate that those voices who have given away the veil are often stifled and threatened with online bullying, objectification and targeting. Here is a case study of views on the issue by four women from the Muslim community, who have been reckless fighters against Islamic radicalisation threatening to stifle the personal freedoms of women.

Rubika Liyaquat

ABP News anchor and Journalist left no stone unturned while making a case that Burqa has nothing to do with anything Indian. Recalling her times in Rajasthan, a state where the Ghoongat in some cases is a traditional commonplace, she asserted, “I have seen no girl going to school draping a veil. Here, we are going against the times where Ghungat is becoming obscure.” She also questioned how did the Black burquas inject themselves into the lives of the young generation while Muslim women from earlier generations only wore Indian dresses.

मैं राजस्थान से आती हूँ वहाँ घूँघट की प्रथा एसी थी कि आधी चूनर घूँघट में ख़त्म हो जाती थी… लेकिन कभी किसी लड़की को घूँघट में स्कूल जाते नहीं देखा.. किसी परिवार को स्कूल कॉलेज प्रशासन से ज़िद करते नहीं देखा.. ज़माना आगे बढ़ा औरतों ने घूँघट कारना लगभग ख़त्म कर दिया लेकिन 1/2

— Rubika Liyaquat (@RubikaLiyaquat) February 8, 2022

2/2 लेकिन हम उल्टे ही चले जा रहे हैं.. ईमानदारी से अपने आस पास मुस्लिम बुज़ुर्ग नानी-दादी को देखिए बुर्का नहीं भारतीय लिबास पहने मिलेंगी ऊपर दुपट्टा या चादर पहनेंगी.. या तो साड़ी या फिर सलवार क़मीज़.. ये काले बुर्के नई पीढ़ी में इस कदर बढ़ कैसे गए?

— Rubika Liyaquat (@RubikaLiyaquat) February 8, 2022

While Rubika was seen fighting the evils of Burqa in many of her latter tweets on the Udupi issue, she was trolled for expressing herself openly by people in Islamic and ‘liberal’ circles. Many questioned her with a defence of whataboutery sighting orthodox Hindu customs existing, others used slangs, objectification, passed misogynistic comments and even questioned her journalistic credentials.

मेडम हिज़ाब वोह अपनी मर्ज़ी से ओर पसंद से पहनती है ।कोई ज़बरदसती या थोपा नही है और लड़ाई भी वो खुद लड़ रही है ।
आप जब साड़ी ओर बिंदिया लगा कर एंकरिंग करते हो तब आपको किसीने रोका है । आपको आज़ादी है तो सब को आज़ादी होनी चाहिए @RubikaLiyaquat

— Razzak khan@رزاق خان?? (@Razzakkhan153) February 8, 2022

Hijab is a personal choice,India is an independent state no person can stop a person from wearing clothes of his or her choice,jb desh ke ek CMdharmik kapde pehen ke shasan kr skhte, jb PMdin mei 4 baar kpde badal kr apna PR kr skhte, so why this hypocrisy?#HijabRow #AllahuAkbar

— Mohd Atif Choudhary (@im_atif_) February 8, 2022

Taslima Nasreen

Author Taslima Nasreen has been at the forefront to call out the subtle imposition of Burqa or Hijab as a symbol of ‘Islamism and misogyny’. She is of the opinion that all kinds of religious symbolism should be avoided in secular institutions like schools.

Some ppl think hijab is a symbol of secularism. No,it’s not. It’s a symbol of Islamism & misogyny. Secularism means without religion. Embracing all religions equally is not secularism,rather it is superduper-religionism.U want a secular space?Avoid all kinds of religious symbols.

— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) February 8, 2022

While hinting at the invasion of politics in the issue, she thrashed out at orthodox practices in Islam saying, “Islam is now political Islam. Hijab is now political hijab.”

It’s glaring to see when criticism from the religious quarters arrives at the tweets of these women, it is mostly the male accounts countering their progressive ideas. Much talk about the individual rights of women fails to deliver here. While all Taslima asked for was separating religious symbolism from schools, she too was charged with inciting ‘communalism’.

Its right of an induvidual to wear what she or he likes. Its matter of there culture and beliefs. Don’t spoil the new generations in name of injecting communalism.

— Syed omer (@i_amsyed) February 5, 2022

Amana Begam Ansari

Meet Amana Begum Ansari – Researcher and Policy Analyst who has led the cause of Pasmanda Muslims in India. Amana is of the view that while she does not support the burqa, she is not in favour of its complete ban by the state unless a security concern arises. While calling out the veil patriarchal, she says, “Women should have the right to wear patriarchal clothes just like they have the right to smoke despite being it a health issue.”

Nuanced takes like those of Amana are often slipped under the carpet while meta-narratives of glorifying and justifying the Burqa qualify as positions taken in favour of personal liberties. While speaking on The Sham Sharma Show, Amana claimed that while orthodoxies in the Hindu community have been rightfully challenged by awareness, the state has taken no steps like these, when it came to Muslims. “Campaigns with slogans like Ghoongat Chodo, Duniya Dekho are assertively carried out in interior Rajasthan by the Congress Government, but there would never be such slogans when it comes to the Muslim community.”

Arshia Malik

While progressive voices calling out for reforms in the Muslim society are often sidelined, Arshia Malik, who hails from Delhi has made sure her voice is always heard. In a recent article in The New Indian, she writes, “Those liberals of Muslim or non-Muslim heritage who are supporting the enforcement of hijab in Muslim culture as freedom of choice, and a tool of empowerment need to understand the moment when, girls, just about to step into puberty or years away from it are told to cover up.” In her opinion piece, she has argued for Muslims often being the victims of Islam itself.

While calling out the hypocrisy of Lawyer Devadutt Kamat, who argued before the court on behalf of the girls that wearing Hijab is an essential practice in Islam while citing religious scriptures, Arshia wrote on Twitter asking, “Since when did law courts in India become Sharia courts?”

The Hindu man is also basing his arguments on Sharia-compliancy; laws based on the supernatural & superstitious, by male Muslim jurist-theologians of the medieval times. Since when did law courts in India become Sharia courts? Sycophancy so deep?Practically licking mullahs’ toes! https://t.co/BT96J3hIDV

— Arshia Malik (@arshiaunis) February 9, 2022

Maybe there is a reason why do not celebrate the life of Fatima Sheikh, who alongside Savitribai Phule became the first Muslim teacher in India as a social reformer. Her name has been brushed away in history whereas the Phules are revered for their pathbreaking deeds. Who remembers Mehrunnisa Dalwai? – who fought against the social evils of Triple Talaq all throughout her life. Reformers in the Muslim sphere need recognition at a time when young college going girls have suddenly taken up Hijab as a marker of their identity. The girls, without being demonised, should be opened up to the values of the new India where cultural identities do not contest with the baggage of continuing practices just for the sake of tradition.

The case for burqa not only exhibits the ongoing Islamic radicalization in society but also justifies patriarchal notions against women of the worst kind. How can a collectivist normalization of covering every woman visible be touted as an exercise in personal individual liberty? The Burqa debate that has erupted out of Karnataka is about to spread its tentacles all over the country. The question thence before the nation is an all-encompassing philosophical, legal, political and religious one – Will obscure religious/social practices hurting eternal individual freedoms be allowed to determine the fabric of the 21st-century society or will the state intervene?