Hijab row: Comments by United States, others not welcome, says govt of India

News Network
February 12, 2022

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A day after the United States waded into the controversy over ban on Hijabs in the schools in Karnataka, the government of India said that the “motivated comments” on its “internal issues” were not welcome.

New Delhi apparently reacted to a tweet by Rashad Hussain, the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Hussain had argued in the tweet that the ban on Hijab in schools in Karnataka had violated religious freedom.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi stated on Saturday that the matter regarding dress code in some educational institutions in Karnataka was under judicial examination by the High Court. “Our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as our democratic ethos and polity, are the context in which issues are considered and resolved,” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the MEA, said. “Those who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these realities.”

Hussain tweeted on the Hijab controversy in Karnataka late on Friday.

“Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one's religious attire,” Rashad Hussain, the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, tweeted. “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.”

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 was the first US Government official to publicly make a comment on the controversy that erupted in Karnataka.

Hussain’s comment on the controversy over Hijab in India came on a day External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on the sideline of a meeting of the a Quad Foreign Ministers at Melbourne in Australia.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had earlier hit out at the Government of India for depriving Muslim girls of education and called it a “grave violation of fundamental human rights”. “To deny anyone this fundamental right & (and) terrorise them for wearing a hijab is absolutely oppressive. The world must realise this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims,” Qureshi had posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

The Biden Administration has been tacitly conveying to the Modi Government concerns in the US over the perception that India was backsliding on human rights and freedom of speech and religion. The US President as well as his Vice President Kamala Harris subtly nudged the Prime Minister to protect democratic principles of India, when they had hosted him in Washington DC on September 24 last year.

The US has been nudging India on the issue of declining religious freedom even during Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump’s four-year term in the White House.

Hussain’s predecessor Samuel Brownback had in June 2020 expressed concern over violence and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities in India.

The US Commission for International Religious Freedom – an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission – on November 5 last year reiterated its plea to the Biden Administration to designate India – along with Russia, Lebanon and Vietnam – as a 'Country of Particular Concern' in view of the impact of the policies implemented by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government in New Delhi on religious freedom of the minority Muslims, Sikhs and Christians as well as of the Dalits and the Adivasis.

The Modi Government, however, has been defending its track record in protecting democratic principles, human rights and religious freedom.

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News Network
September 17,2024

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Mangaluru: In an act of extraordinary selflessness, a young lecturer and mother, Archana Kamath, tragically passed away just days after donating a portion of her liver to a relative. She was 33.

Archana, who had devoted her career to shaping young minds as a lecturer at Canara College and most recently at Manel Srinivasa Nayak MBA College, was a loving mother to a four-year-old boy. Her sudden passing has left her family, students, and colleagues reeling in shock and grief.

The story of her untimely demise began when a relative of her husband, CA Chethan Kumar, required a life-saving liver transplant. 

With no other matching donors in sight, Archana stepped forward, her heart full of compassion. Her blood type matched, and without hesitation, she made the brave decision to donate a part of her liver—an act that would ultimately cost her life.

The surgery, performed 12 days ago in Bengaluru, seemed successful. Archana appeared to recover well and was discharged, bringing hope and relief to her loved ones. 

But just days after returning home, she suddenly fell ill and passed away on September 15 in a Mangaluru hospital. The cause of her sudden decline remains a mystery, compounding the sorrow of those who knew and loved her.

Her final act of love saved a life—the relative who received her liver is said to be recovering well. But Archana’s loss is felt deeply by her husband and their young son, who are now left to navigate a world without her warmth and strength.

As family and friends grapple with this tragic turn of events, Archana’s memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew her as a caring educator, devoted mother, and a woman whose ultimate sacrifice was made out of love.

The full story of her passing is still unfolding, and her untimely death has left an irreplaceable void in the lives of all who knew her.
 

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News Network
September 12,2024

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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees says six of its employees are among the at least 18 people killed in a recent Israeli aerial assault on a school in the central Gaza Strip.

In a statement released on Thursday, UNRWA said Wednesday’s Israeli airstrikes targeting the UN-run al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp resulted in "the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident” since the occupying regime waged a genocidal war on Gaza more than 11 months ago.

"Among those killed was the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members providing assistance to displaced people," it added.

UNRWA also said the al-Jaouni school, home to around 12,000 displaced Palestinians- mainly women and children, has been hit five times since the Israeli aggression began.

“No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared,” it emphasized. “Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times, they are not a target.”

In an X post, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the deaths demonstrated “very dramatic violations of the international humanitarian law and the total absence of an effective protection of civilians.”

Meanwhile, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the agency's staff who were killed had been providing support to families sheltering in the al-Jaouni school.

“Humanitarian staff, premises & operations have been blatantly & unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war,” he asserted.

Lazzarini further noted that at least 220 UNRWA employees have been killed during the Israeli offensive on Gaza.

The Israeli military claimed that the school had been used by members of the Hamas resistance group to “plan and execute” attacks against the occupation troops.

However, a survivor said the section of the school that was hit by Israel had been “dedicated only to women.”

“All of a sudden there was a huge explosion … Women and children were blown to pieces. We rushed to see our children but found them torn to pieces,” he told Al Jazeera.

Another survivor said she had lost all of her six children in the Israeli attack, adding, “What crime, what wrong did those innocent children do?”

Israel waged its brutal Gaza offensive on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 41,084 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 95,029 others. 

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News Network
September 12,2024

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Mysuru: More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with the riots between two groups of different faiths, at Nagamangala town, Mandya district, over the Ganesha idol procession, on Wednesday night.

High drama prevailed in front of the Nagamangala town police station on Thursday morning, with women belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities staging a protest against the arrest of their family members and demanding their release.

The two groups started arguing over the Ganesha idol procession on the Mysuru-Nagamangala road, near a 'dargah'. This soon turned violent with stone being pelted. Reports said that around 25 shops were also set on fire.

Several vehicles were damaged and torched by the mob. However, police intervened and brought the situation under control, deploying additional police forces.

Holiday has been declared to schools and colleges in Nagamangala town until further notice. Police have imposed section 144 till 12 noon of September 14.

SP Mallikarjuna Baladandi, IGP (Southern Range) Boralingaiah, DC Kumar and other officials visited the spot.

District incharge Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy visited the spot on Thursday morning and took stock of the situation. Speaking to reporters he said, the incident was unfortunate.

"The clash which started around 9 pm on Wednesday, flared up with miscreants setting fire, damaging shops and vehicles in the town. There is no need for anxiety. Additional police forces have been deployed in the town and the situation is under control now," he said.

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