A Congress lawmaker in India's Karnataka state has made the bizarre claim that women get raped in the country because they don't cover their faces or wear Hijab.
"Hijab means 'parda' (veil) in Arabic. It is for hiding the beauty of girls when they come of age. Today, the rape-rate is the highest in our country. Why do you think this is? The reason is that women don't wear the hijab," said B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan as cited by the Asian News International new agency on Sunday.
He added that those who didn't want to be raped would wear the hijab, adding, however, that it is not compulsory to wear it.
Soon after his statement was made public, many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians took to Twitter and slammed Zameer Ahmed for his remarks. They also tagged Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who stated a week ago that women have the right to decide what she wants to wear.
Priti Gandhi on Zameer Ahmed
© Photo : Twitter/@mrsgandhi
Shehzad Jai Hind on Zameer Ahmed
© Photo : Twitter/Shehzad_Ind
Amit Malviya on Zameer Ahmed
© Photo : Twitter/amitmalviya
Not just politicians, but netizens also fume over Congress lawmaker comments.
Netizen on Zameer Ahmed
© Photo / Twitter/@trulymonica
Netizen on Zameer Ahmed
© Photo / Twitter/@majorgauravarya
Netizen on Zameer Ahmed
© Photo : Twitter/@KanchanGupta
The southern Indian state of Karnataka is witnessing protests after some Muslim girls were banned from entering their classroom for wearing Muslim headscarfs or the hijab in Udupi District. The protest has now spread to various cities across the country.
However, the girls have refused to comply with the prohibition, saying that if they are forced to remove their hijab, it would be a violation of their religious freedom.
The issue has attracted public attention across the state, with many colleges banning the hijab in classrooms.
Now, the matter is being heard by the Karnataka High Court.
Earlier on 9 February, Karnataka's Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker M.Panchaksarya Renukacharya said rape cases were on the rise as some dresses worn by women provoked men.