Muslim girls leave Indian church-run school after hijab row deepens
After hijab ban sparks row, Muslim mother pulls daughters from Kerala school, saying atmosphere hostile to her faith and dignity
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Two Muslim students have withdrawn from a church-run school in southern India after weeks of tension over the right to wear a hijab, intensifying scrutiny of religious discrimination in the country’s education system.
The decision comes days after St. Rita’s School in Kochi, operated by the Latin Catholic Church, barred a Muslim student from wearing a hijab on campus — a story that drew nationwide attention earlier this month. The school later faced protests and a government inquiry into its handling of the incident.
Jesna, the mother of the two girls who have now left the institution, said she no longer felt the school was safe for her children. “They behaved this way because they harbour deep hatred towards other faiths,” she wrote in a social media post. “A statement that a girl wearing hijab will create fear in others is an insult to my faith and culture.”
Jesna said her daughters have been admitted to another Catholic-run institution, Our Lady’s Convent School, whose administration assured her of an inclusive environment. “A nun there told me that my children will face no difficulties,” she said. “I want them to grow up among teachers with compassion.”
Earlier this month, tensions at St. Rita’s prompted the school to close for two days after parents and teachers clashed over whether students should be allowed to wear the Islamic headscarf. A letter circulated by the principal, Sr. Heleena Alby, referred to “a student dressed in an outfit not allowed by the school,” though it did not mention the hijab directly.
Kerala’s Education Minister V. Sivankutty later said a government investigation found the school’s decision to bar the student violated the Right to Education Act, calling it “serious misconduct.”
The report by the Deputy Director of Education concluded that the student should have been allowed to continue her studies while wearing the hijab.
Rights advocates say the episode reflects a deeper pattern of hostility toward Muslim identity in Indian schools, echoing earlier hijab bans in the southern state of Karnataka in 2022. While Kerala has long been known for its religious diversity and higher literacy levels, the incident has raised concerns about the growing influence of sectarian attitudes even in traditionally pluralist regions.
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