A missionary school in Bara Banki district of Uttar Pradesh has threatened to rusticate a class VII Muslim student for wearing ‘Hijab’ in the classroom.

Studying in Anand Bhawan, a private school run by a missionary trust, the Muslim student had attended the school wearing ‘hijab’ ( a scarf worn by Muslim girls after attaining puberty) on Wednesday. The girl was not only admonished by the school management but warned to be rusticated from the school if she wore the scarf again.

When the girl’s father Maulana Mohammed Raza Rizvi wrote a letter to the school management protesting their dictating religious reasons, he was advised to withdraw her daughter and make her study in a madarsa or any other Islamic School.

“In Islam, it is mandatory for a girl to wear hijab to cover their head after attaining puberty. It was due to religious reasons my daughter wore the scarf. It is a minority institution and most of the teachers are Christians but even then they objected to my daughter wearing hijab,” said Rizvi.

But the school management refused to entertain any plea from the parents and told the father that any girl wearing hijab will not be allowed to attend classes. “It should not be repeated again. If parents have any objections they may withdraw and admit their daughter in any Islamic school,” warned the School Principal Archana Thomas.

The Principal clarified that the school has a strict dress code and the management cannot allow any student to wear anything other than the school dress. “I did not mean to disrespect anyone’s religion or force any student to seek admission in an Islamic school. We had only told the parents that if they have any objections to dress code of the school then they are free to withdraw their girl and get her admitted elsewhere,” clarified the Principal.

Archana Thomas claimed that the dress code and all rules of the school are clearly written in Admission Form. “We admit student only after parents agree and sign to school rules and regulations written on the admission form,” said she.

“If the girl’s parents are so adamant to violate the school dress code by sending their daughter wearing a scarf then they are free to withdraw her from the school,” warned the Principal.

Agitated parents have lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, District Magistrate and district inspector of schools (DIOS) against the missionary school diktat. “The School order is against the Constitution which protects us to practice our religious rights. I will go to the court if the order is not withdrawn,” said Rizvi whose daughter has stopped going to the school after the row over hijab wearing.

A similar hijab wearing row was reported in Lucknow about two years ago when management of St. Joseph School had objected to a Muslim girl wearing hijab in the classroom. The district administration had to intervene and the Muslim girl was finally allowed to wear hijab in the classroom.