The April 17 circular by the Muslim Educational Society, which runs a wide array of schools and professional institutions including engineering and medical colleges in the state, makes it clear that it is difficult to accept a clothing style, be it in the name of modernity or religious traditions. (Source: File Photo) The April 17 circular by the Muslim Educational Society, which runs a wide array of schools and professional institutions including engineering and medical colleges in the state, makes it clear that it is difficult to accept a clothing style, be it in the name of modernity or religious traditions. (Source: File Photo)

At a time when there is an international debate about the relevance of face coverings, a prominent Muslim educational body in Kerala has released a circular prohibiting girl students from wearing face veils.

The April 17 circular by the Muslim Educational Society (MES), which runs a wide array of schools and professional institutions including engineering and medical colleges in the state, makes it clear that it is difficult to accept a clothing style, be it in the name of modernity or religious traditions. Read in Malayalam

From the 2019-20 academic year, heads of institutions and local managements must ensure that female students do not come to attend classes with their faces covered, the MES circular attested.

The educational body underlined that along with academic and extra-curricular achievements, students must maintain decorum in their clothing style. “We must discourage all undesirable tendencies in campuses,” the circular, signed by Dr PA Fazal Gafoor, said.

The MES circular is likely to place it in a path of conflict with Muslim outfits like the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, an organisation of Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics in Kerala.

The Sri Lankan government had recently banned women from wearing face coverings under an emergency law shortly after the Easter Sunday bombings.

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