Arabic teacher forced to leave exam hall for refusing to remove hijab during Hindi Prachar Sabha exam

News Network
August 21, 2023

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Chennai, Aug 21: A Muslim woman was reportedly forced to leave examination hall during the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha’s exam at a school near Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu after she turned down the demand to show her hair by removing her hijab.

Shabana, who teaches Arabic at a school in Tiruvannamalai town, was prepared to appear for her Madhyama exam at Annamalai Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Somasipadi village. However, a few minutes after the exam started on Sunday, August 20, she was asked to stop writing and remove her hijab.

“I informed the principal that I am a teacher and I cannot remove my hijab. The principal was not ready to listen to my explanations. I was standing for a couple of minutes hoping he would leave the place and I can continue my test. However, the school correspondent came in some time, raised her voice and said that she cannot allow me to take the exam if I wear the hijab. She took away my writing pad, kept it outside and told me to move out and enter the exam hall only after removing my hijab,” the victim told reporters.

Shabana said that within 20 minutes after she began writing, she was asked by the school principal, who came for invigilation, to remove her hijab.

According to Shabana, the school correspondent also asked her to submit a letter saying that she did not want to take the exam if she had to remove the hijab.

Shabana told the correspondent the hijab was like a uniform and that as a teacher, if she removed her hijab, students would think they could remove theirs also. “She said I cannot argue with her. Despite pleading with her for some time and saying that I can remove the nose piece, she was not ready to allow me,” the candidate said.

Shabana also said that she was made to wait for close to an hour by the authorities as they continued arguing with her, disallowing her to take the exam.

Later, Shabana's husband confronted the school management about the matter. Condemning the incident, members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) staged a protest in front of the exam centre.

“This is a democratic, secular country. Each one has their religious rights and no one should be allowed to take away anyone’s religious freedom. When we asked the principal if there was any government order on this, we were told that the Hindi Prachar Sabha secretary had informed them,” said Mustaq Baasha, SDPI president in Tiruvannamalai district.

“The government should provide justice to the woman and take stringent action against the authorities for discrimination,” the SDPI leader said, adding that such incidents could not be allowed to take place in Tamil Nadu, “the land of Periyar”.

An official from the district education department said that the exam was conducted by the Hindi Prachar Sabha and not the state government, adding that the government had not issued any such order insisting that candidates should remove their hijab.

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News Network
November 12,2024

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The Taliban regime has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as the acting consul in the Afghan mission in Mumbai, Afghan media has reported.

It is the first such appointment made by the Taliban set up to any Afghan mission in India.

There was no immediate comment from the Indian side on the appointment that came.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has announced the appointment of Kamil as the acting consul in Mumbai, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

"He is currently in Mumbai, where he is fulfilling his duties as a diplomat representing the Islamic Emirate," it said.

The appointment is part of Kabul's efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with India and enhance its presence abroad, the media outlet said

Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry, it said.

He is expected to facilitate consular services and represent the interests of Afghanistan in India, the report added.

Kamil's appointment comes days after the external affairs ministry's point-person for Afghanistan held talks with the Taliban's acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, in Kabul.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, also posted on X about Kamil's appointment.

The appointment of Kamil is seen as part of efforts to facilitate consular services to the Afghan population in Mumbai.

There has been almost negligible presence of diplomatic staff at the Afghan missions in India.

Most of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government have already left India.

In May, Zakia Wardak, the seniormost Afghan diplomat in India, resigned from her position after reports emerged that she was caught at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from Dubai.

Wardak had taken charge as the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi late last year, after working as the Afghan consul general in Mumbai for more than two years.

She took charge of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi last November, after the mission helmed by then ambassador Farid Mamundzay announced its closure.

Mamundzay, who was an appointee of the Ghani government, had moved to the United Kingdom.

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News Network
November 12,2024

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The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says its fighters have killed at least 20 Israeli soldiers in northern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip in just two days, in retaliation for the occupying regime’s genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.

In a statement on Monday evening, Hamas said that fighters of its military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, “killed at least five occupation soldiers” in northern parts of the coastal territory earlier in the day.

It added that Hamas fighters also killed 15 Israeli soldiers in the war-ravaged region on Sunday.

The resistance movement’s “qualitative operation … confirms once again the failure of the criminal Zionist entity to suppress and eradicate the Palestinian resistance, which continues to direct qualitative strikes against its terrorist soldiers,” Hamas further said on its Telegram channel.

Palestinians have increased their resistance operations in the face of intensified Israeli aggression in northern Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 over the past weeks.

“Our valiant resistance is waging a war of attrition with the criminal enemy, inflicting daily losses on its soldiers and vehicles, and all of [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s bets and dreams of achieving any of his goals are failing,” the Gaza-based resistance movement added.

Hamas also vowed that Israel’s ongoing crimes and aggression against Gaza would be met with increased resistance and painful strikes, which will continue until the aggression against Palestinians ends and the regime fully withdraws from the blockaded territory.

As the war in Gaza enters its 14th month, the Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks have killed at least 43,603 Palestinians and wounded 102,929 others.

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News Network
November 11,2024

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Mangaluru: In a deeply tragic turn of events, a 28-year-old woman named Ranjitha, who had recently given birth but tragically lost her newborn, ended her life by suicide on Monday. She reportedly leapt from the fourth-floor window of Lady Goschen Hospital’s luggage room.

Ranjitha, whose strength and resilience had carried her through a difficult pregnancy, was scheduled for discharge on Monday. Her journey to Lady Goschen Hospital began on October 24, when she was transferred from Karkala. She was a high-risk patient, battling both hypertension and diabetes. At the time of her admission, she was just 27 weeks pregnant.

Due to the complexities of her health, doctors made the difficult decision to perform an emergency C-section on October 30. She delivered a baby girl, premature and weighing only 960 grams. The newborn was immediately moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where doctors did all they could. Despite these efforts, the baby passed away on November 3.

Ranjitha’s sorrow was profound. She stayed under hospital care even after her initial recovery and was preparing to go home on November 9. She had even requested a couple more days at the hospital, seeking time perhaps to cope with her unimaginable grief.

On the day of her discharge, a discharge card ready and her family eagerly waiting to take her home, Ranjitha reportedly made her way to the luggage room in the early hours. There, standing on a cot placed for patients' family members, she climbed to a window and fell from the fourth floor. Despite the attempts of another visitor to intervene, tragedy was inevitable. She was rushed to Government Wenlock Hospital, where doctors confirmed the worst—she was no more.

Dr. Durgaparasad M R, the Medical Superintendent at Lady Goschen Hospital, shared his grief and spoke of the ongoing investigation. A post-mortem is to be conducted, and the local Tahsildar will complete the necessary inquest procedures. Ranjitha’s exact reasons for taking this step are yet to be confirmed, though the weight of her recent losses paints a sorrowful picture.

If you or anyone you know is struggling emotionally, please remember that help is available. Reach out to mental health experts who can provide support and guidance. The toll-free helpline number 9152987821 is available to assist anyone in distress.

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