Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan Exclusive: 'Context of Hijab has disappeared'

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, in an exclusive interview to Asianet News on Monday, said that the holy Quran does not use the term 'Hijab' in the context of the dress of women.

"Hijab is a term that has been used in the Quran in seven verses or on seven occasions. The burqa is also a dress. Muslim law started taking a definite shape -- they used hijab for all kinds of dresses which are associated with women. and the truth is Quran does not use it in the context of the dress of women. Quran uses the word 'Khimar' (headscarf), if you listen to 'Lisan-ul-Arab' (Arabic dictionary), 'Khirmar' has been defined as a scarf, as a cloth which women carry with them," the Kerala Governor told Asianet.

Further enumerating the context of Hijab as mentioned in the Quran, the Governor said, "In those times, almost every society was divided between two sections. One was free men and free women, and the other was slave men and slave women. If you study most of the economies of those times, they were slave-driven. The 'Khimar' was then required to be drawn over the 'Jilbab' (long robe), which means cover your bosoms."

"Today, the world over, slavery does not exist. United Nations declaration of human rights is there. We have our own fundamental rights. Every person, be it a woman or a man, they are all free today. The context has disappeared," Governor Arif Mohammad Khan summed up.

Earlier, the Governor also lashed out at the section of people who had been conspiring to use the ongoing Hijab controversy as a means to achieve their agenda of keeping Muslim women confined to their homes and not allowing them to progress.

He made it clear that good education is the only way to improve the situation of the community and that of the country and urged the younger generation to stay clear of vested interests and focus on excelling in academics.