As protests continue against the Indian high court ruling banning hijabs in educational institutes in Karnataka state, teachers from across India have expressed solidarity with Muslim girls.

Supporting their right to don hijab, a solidarity statement was signed by teachers from premier institutions including Jamia Millia Islamia, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Ashoka University and NLSIU.

“As teachers working in different schools, colleges and universities in different parts of India, and as Indian teachers working abroad, we stand in solidarity with Muslim students’ right to wear a hijab in the classroom if they wish to,” the statement quoted by Times of India read.

“It is a question of women’s autonomy and their agency, and the hijab does not compromise with the integrity of education in any way,” it added.

📚 Read Also: Funny Questions Muslim Girls Often Get on Hijab

The controversial ruling by the top court followed the decision of the southern state of Karnataka to ban hijab.

The decision was met by protests staged by some Muslim students and parents, and counter-protests by Hindu students.

Critics of the ban say it is another way of marginalizing a community that accounts for about 13% of Hindu-majority India’s 1.35 billion people.

“Our students come from different religions, castes, genders and speak different mother tongues… In the course of their education, students learn to reflect critically on the world around them and begin to interrogate beliefs and practices they grew up with,” read their statement.

“In the process, students sometimes reaffirm their beliefs, and sometimes discard them.”

📚 Read Also: Bollywood Star Quits, ‘Turns towards Allah’

Code of Dress

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not just a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

Allah Says in the Qur’an, “O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons…that they should be known and not molested.” The Holy Quran, Chapter 33, verse 59  

In addition, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reportedly said: “If the woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen but this — and he pointed to his face and hands.” Sunan of Abu-Dawood. 

Hijab restrictions have surfaced elsewhere, including France, which in 2004 banned them in schools.

But in India, where Muslims make up 14% of the country’s 1.4 billion people, the hijab has historically been neither prohibited nor limited in public spheres.