Alia is a karate champion, a state level gold medalist, with many trophies for her.
Udupi, Karnataka:
In a small town in Udupi in coastal Karnataka, 17-year-old Aliya Asadi is one of the students battling the state’s hijab ban. In the eyes of BJP leaders like Yashpal Suvarna and Raghupati Bhat, these girls are terrorist sympathizers who have been brainwashed by radical Islamists.
Alia is a karate champion, a state level gold medalist, with many trophies for her. Her father Ayub Asadi rejected the idea that his daughter was radicalized on campus. She says the family encouraged the use of the hijab from her early years but did not curb her ambitions
“Hijab is needed. My daughter has been wearing hijab since childhood. She also wore hijab while participating in karate competitions,” she said.
Aaliya says that she had no desire to be a crusader. When her parents tried unsuccessfully to persuade the government college and she went to class wearing a hijab – something that is not allowed under the rules – that she became a protester.
“We didn’t wear hijab in college earlier. We had instead sent our parents to explain to them the need to wear hijab. But the principal was not convinced. Since there was no response from them, we started wearing hijab. We were not allowed to enter the classroom after that,” she said.
Today, Aaliya says that she has been isolated by her classmates.
Her father, an auto driver, says that after the court’s order upholding the hijab ban, he may have to transfer his daughter to a college that allows hijab.
He said, “I am not sure about the next course of action. I have not considered it. I will consult Muslim organizations and take a decision accordingly. I will admit her to another college where hijab is allowed.”
Alia Asadi is one of the many students who say she has been targeted, and not treated with respect. After being disappointed with the High Court’s decision upholding the hijab ban, she has now pinned her hopes on the Supreme Court. Students say that if the Supreme Court upholds the High Court’s decision, then they are left with no option but to drop out.