Now US president Joe Biden’s administration has also reacted in the hijab controversy that spread from a school in Karnataka to other parts of the country. The official Twitter handle of the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the Biden Administration, has said that the Karnataka government should not decide whether to wear a religious dress or not. To ensure one’s religious freedom, he/she should also have the freedom to wear the dress of his/her religion.
What did the Biden administration official say?
The Biden administration official tweeted, “Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one’s religious attire. The Indian state of Karnataka should not determine permissibility of religious clothing. Hijab bans in schools violate religious freedom and stigmatize and marginalize women and girls.”
Keep in mind that the matter of hijab is before the Karnataka High Court, which has provisionally banned wearing of hijab in schools. Hearing in the case will resume from Monday. Meanwhile, the matter has also come to the Supreme Court. India’s Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the hijab controversy, saying it would not comment before the High Court’s final order.
Hussain, an Indian-American attorney and diplomat, was appointed by President Joe Biden’s administration last year as the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
He is the first US Government official to publicly make a comment on the controversy that erupted in Karnataka.