'Muslim women of first generation challenged hijab': Kerala Governor's history lesson

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Friday expressed his thoughts on the hijab controversy with a story involving the household of the Prophet.

Responding to queries from media persons on the ongoing controversy, the Governor said, "Read my book. I have two detailed articles. And I can tell you about just one (at the moment). A young girl who was brought up in the household of the Prophet himself, and she was the niece of the wife of the Prophet. She was proverbially beautiful. This is what history says. Read it. And when her husband chided her for not wearing a veil, she said 'God has made me beautiful. God has placed the stamp of beauty on me. I want people to see my beauty and see the grace of God in my beauty. And be grateful to God that he has made me so beautiful'. This is how the women of the first generation behaved. That's all I can say."  

The statement came on the sidelines of the Karnataka High Court order which directed the students, who had been seeking the right to wear hijab to schools and colleges in the state, to drop their religious attire and follow the uniform code prescribed by the education institutions. However, the court made it clear that its order will be limited to institutions where concerned college development committees have prescribed a dress code or uniform for the students.

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