Arif Mohammad Khan  
New Delhi: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has said that the hijab is not an essential part of Islam in the manner say a turban was to the Sikh religion and termed the controversy around it a “conspiracy” to prevent Muslim girls from progressing.
The Governor also urged students to return to their classrooms and carry forward their studies.
Talking to ANI, Khan said that Hijab is mentioned seven times in Quran, but it is not in connection with the women’s dress code.
“The hijab controversy is a conspiracy to stop the education of Muslim girls. The Muslim girls are studying now and achieving what they want. I would suggest that students return to their classrooms and study,” he added.
On the argument about allowing Sikhs to wear turbans in schools, the Governor said that the turban is an essential part of the Sikh religion but the same is not the case with hijab in Islam.
Emphasising that women were free to wear anything that they wanted, Khan said that they would have to comply with the rules and regulations of the institution they are working or studying in.
You are free to wear anything that you want but when you are associated with an institution, you have to adhere to the rules and regulations and the dress code of the institution, he added.
Protests had intensified in several parts of Karnataka and other states with some students alleging that they had been barred from attending classes wearing hijab while others protested against wearing the hijab.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear urgent pleas relating to the hijab row in Karnataka and said it is “watching” what’s happening in the state and in hearing before the High Court.
Meanwhile, the vice president of the School Development Management Committee (SDMC) in Udupi, Yashpal Suvarna on Saturday alleged that the girls wearing hijabs are innocent and have been trained by the Campus Front of India after which they started misbehaving with the teachers.