Kangana Rananut reacts to Karnataka hijab row, says ‘show courage by not wearing burqa in Afghanistan’

Kangana Ranaut seems to have reacted to the ongoing unrest in Karnataka over whether students should be permitted to wear hijab (a headscarf worn by Muslim women) in educational institutions or not. On Thursday, the Karnataka High Court restrained students from wearing hijab or any religious attire till the matter is pending with the court.

 

 

On Instagram Stories, Kangana obliquely expressed her thoughts on the subject, writing: “If you want to show courage, show it by not wearing burqa in Afghanistan. Learn to break free, not cage yourself.” 

 

She re-shared a post by author Anand Ranganathan, who has been involved in advocating for the elimination of religious dress codes in schools, calling the practise "draconian, misogynist, and oppressive."

The post shared by Kangana was captioned: “Iran. 1973 and now. From bikini to burqa in fifty years flat. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

The protests in Karnataka began last month, when a few students at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi said they were barred from attending courses because they wore hijab. Several acts of unrest have occurred in the state since then. A video showing a group of slogan-shouting guys approaching a female student in a burqa was extensively criticised on social media earlier this week. Before entering the college building, the female student was spotted standing her ground unfazed.

Several celebrities, including Kamal Haasan, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, and Onir, have spoken out against the ongoing protests in Karnataka, calling it a "shameful state of affairs." While he does not agree with Kangana, veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar wrote on Thursday that while he does not support hijab or burqa in educational areas, he opposes 'hooliganism' in the name of 'manliness.'