After Kerala Institution, This Gujarat Bank Also Wants To Ban The Burqa (And Helmet)

The bank removed the notices after Muslim leaders and politicians raised objections over the ban on the burqa

By: News Desk |
July 5, 2019 6:32 pm

Amid the raging TV debates over whether the burqa should be banned or not, two branches of Bank of Baroda in Surat reportedly put up notices on May 4 that banned the entry of customers in burqas and helmets. The notices at Ambaji Road branch and New Civil Hospital branch said ‘remove burqa/helmet’ and ‘no admission with burqa and helmet’.

According to bank officials, the notices were not Islamophobic and were put up keeping security concerns in mind. Navin Gohiya, Ambaji road branch manager, told HT,

“There was no ill intent behind the notice. Also, it was not meant to target any community. It was done for security reasons. And it has been removed now.”

The bank removed the notices after Muslim leaders and politicians raised objections over the ban on the burqa, the garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover themselves. Congress leader Badruddin Sheikh told HT,

“Such notice definitely targets the Muslims. Helmets can be removed anytime. But Muslim women put on burqa to follow the religion. They are not supposed to remove it.”

Photo: PTI

The debate in India sparked after the Sri Lankan government temporarily banned all face veils, including the burqa, in the aftermath of the devastating Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 253 people. Sri Lanka became one of the 13 countries that have, partially or wholly, outlawed wearing a burqa, including France, The Netherlands and Belgium.

Later, a weekly column published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow the lead of the Sri Lankan government and ban burqas and other face veils in India, terming them a “threat” to the country’s security. Afterwards, the Kerala Muslim Educational Society in Kozhikode issued a circular prohibiting female students from wearing veils in 35 colleges and 72 schools run by it. The circular quoted a Kerala High Court order dated December 2018 that dismissed a plea by two students seeking to wear headscarves and full-sleeve shirts in the school premises.