Dangal actor Zaira Wasim spoke up on the ongoing hijab controversy in Karnataka on Saturday.
Posting an extensive post on Instagram, the 21-year-old, who quit acting as she believed it conflicted with her faith, wrote, “It’s often either a construct of convenience or ignorance. Hijab isn’t a choice but an obligation in Islam. Likewise, a woman who wears the hijab is fulfilling an obligation enjoined upon her by the God she loves and has submitted herself to. I, as a woman who wears the hijab with gratitude and humility, resent and resist this entire system where women are being stopped and harassed for merely carrying out a religious commitment.”
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The hijab row began at the beginning of January when six female Muslim students wearing the hijab were denied entry at Government PU College. They began a protest against the college authorities, which spiralled into a statewide issue across Karnataka. The matter is currently in the Karnataka High Court. Several Bollywood celebrities, including actor Sonam Kapoor and lyricist Javed Akhtar, have spoken up on the issue.
Also Read: Hijab not essential in Islam like turban is for Sikhs, says Kerala Governor
Wasim added, “Stacking this bias against Muslim women and setting up systems where they should have to decide between education and hijab or to give up either is an absolute injustice.”
“There is no other option to encourage them to choose differently. What is this if not a bias with people who confirm it acting in support of it? On top of all this, building a facade that all this is being done in the name of empowerment is even worse when it is quite exactly the opposite of that. Sad,” Zaira concluded.
Also Read: Amid Karnataka hijab row, Aligarh college bans students wearing religious attire
In 2019, the National-award winning actor had made the decision to quit acting after a five-year-long career as she felt it had led her to a path away from her religious beliefs. Making the announcement on social media, she had written, “For a very long time now, it has felt like I have struggled to become someone else. As I had just started to explore and make sense of the things to which I dedicated my time, efforts and emotions and tried to grab hold of a new lifestyle, it was only for me to realise that though I may fit here perfectly, I do not belong here.”
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“This field indeed brought a lot of love, support, and applause my way, but what it also did was to lead me to a path of ignorance, as I silently and unconsciously transitioned out of ‘imaan’ (faith). While I continued to work in an environment that consistently interfered with my ‘imaan’, my relationship with my religion was threatened,” she had said.
