Malala Yousafzai trolled for hijab remark, Twitter quotes excerpts from her book

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai’s remark on the hijab controversy has backfired on Twitter with many calling her a “paid propagandist” and claiming that she was changing her earlier stand on veil, quoting excerpts from her book.

Recently, Malala Yousafzai has voiced worry about recent occurrences in Karnataka in which female students were not able to attend lessons while wearing a headscarf. Taking to Twitter, she wrote: "Refusing to allow girls attend to school with their hijabs is horrible."

Her comments came amid rising protests in the state's universities over the recent hijab ban looked to be out of control, with cases of stone-pelting and lathicharge recorded in various districts. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated on Tuesday that high schools and colleges would be closed for three days in order to ensure "peace and harmony."

The clashes erupted after a government institution in Karnataka's Udupi district forbade students from wearing hijab in class. Several students who refused to comply with the prohibition were denied admittance. Protests have expanded across the state since then, with some Hindu students and fringe organisations organising their own counter-agitations while dressed in saffron scarves and headdresses.

On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court began hearing a plea filed by five girls at the Government Pre-University College in Udupi contesting the prohibition on headscarves in classrooms. The court adjourned without giving a decision.

Also Read | Karnataka Hijab row: What women across India think about this

Also Read | Karnataka Hijab row: Girl hounded by mob with saffron scarves at Mandya college

Also Read | Congress leader Devadatt Kamat appears in court in support of hijab; social media digs up his past

• Hijab row
• Malala Yousafzai
• Nobel laureate
• Twitter