ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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Football, Freedom, and the Arab Spring

Sports and sporting event have always been political, and this is more so in the case of football. The men’s football world cup held in Qatar became an arena where multiple global sociopolitical contradictions were played out and geopolitical issues were brought into focus. After all, football has always been about philosophy, freedom, beauty, art, and democracy.

In Pursuit of Uniform-ity: The Hijab Row

The issue of the Hijab Ban holds several layers underneath it. On the surface, it appears that it is solely the case of students asking for amendments in the rulebook of "uniforms". Another angle is that of Women's dress (uniform in this case) which solicits the attention and control of the community and society. Furthermore, considering the current socio-political climate in India, one is bound not to ignore the possibility of the Islamophobic facet to the case of the Hijab Ban. Thus, a question that arises is how to make sense of the Hijab Ban? Is it a case of “School uniform”, “Women’s clothing”, or “Callous Islamophobia”?

Voices and Choices of Muslim Women

Scholars of Faith: South Asian Muslim Women and the Embodiment of Religious Knowledge by Usha Sanyal, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020; pp xvi + 394, `1,496 (hardcover).

Conservative Framing of the Hijab Issue and the Muslim Women’s Movement

Conservative and reactionary forces among Hindus and Muslims appear to be the major beneficiaries of the controversy over wearing hijab to schools. Such issues being the traps or detours laid by these forces, marginalised communities must choose their battlegrounds wisely. Instead of diverting the energy to the sectarian agenda of enforcing a dress code and perpetuating marginalisation, Muslim women’s movement should uphold the “Shaheen Bagh Spirit” of upholding constitutional values and unitedly fighting for rights and equality.

 

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