Government Of Kazakhstan, Which is 70 Per Cent Muslim, Bans Hijab In Classrooms; Top Cleric Says Those Who Insist On Hijab May Study At Madrassa

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, the top Muslim body in the country for controlling mosques, has issued an advisory that Muslim girls demanding to wear Hijab in educational institutes should study at a madrassa instead of state-affiliated schools, German publication Deutsche Welle has reported.

The statement by the Supreme Mufti heading the organisation, Nauryzbay Kathy Taganuly, has made the statement in the wake of protests by certain groups following a recent announcement by the Kazakh government to ban the wearing of Hijab in schools. 

An update recently posted on the ‘For citizens’ section of the Kazakh government reportedly said, “Requirements for the school uniform prohibit the wearing of the hijab, since any attribute, symbol, element in one way or another implies propaganda of the dogma to which they relate. Ensuring the equality of all religions before the law, the principles of secularism do not allow the advantage of any religion.”

Kazakhstan, the largest country in Central Asia and formerly a constituent of the Soviet Union, is Constitutionally a secular state despite 70 per cent of its population practising Islam.

About 26 per cent of the population practices Christianity. Jews, Buddhists and ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness), and some other groups, form a tiny minority.

The German publication reported that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently made a statement at a public event that a school is an educational institution and religious beliefs are a private matter.

Meanwhile, several Muslim groups in the country have begun staging protests burning school books and making other civilians try on Hijab to promote it. Women have started an online trend of posting their pictures in Hijab.

Readers may recall that a similar decision by the Karnataka state government in India in 2022 to uphold secular uniform in state-run educational institutes and keep Hijab away from classrooms, was met with violent protests in the state as well as in other parts of the country. 

However, All India Muslim Personal law Board criticised the government for the prohibition and even fought a legal case to enforce Hijab in schools, arguing that Hijab is an essential religious practice in Islam.

On 13 October, 2022, the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict in the matter. Earlier, the Karnataka high court had upheld the state government order upholding the secular uniform.

Due to the split verdict, the state government order continued to be effective. The matter is waiting to be placed before the Chief Justice of India.