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Middya was appointed a guest lecturer at the university in March this year and got the union “diktat” in the second week of April. “I was told that I would not be allowed to attend college if I did not agree to come in a burqa. The University Grants Commission does not prescribe any such dress code and even the university does not have a dress code. But the most unfortunate part is that students are forcing us to wear burqa,” Middya told The Indian Express.
According to her, she has no issues with wearing a burqa — but if she dons one, it would be of her own free will.
Siamat Ali, secretary of West Bengal Madrasah Students’ Union, says he doesn’t understand Middya’s problem.
“There are eight women teachers at the university. It was decided through consulation that the women will observe purdah, and most teachers agreed. Only this lady has a problem,” Ali said, adding that they were ready to welcome Middya back as long as she adhered to the “decent” dress code.
The university has chosen to play safe, putting the issue on the backburner and hoping it dies down.
“This is a stray incident... we tried to nip the problem in the bud. There is no dress code in our university. Since there was a problem, we asked the teacher to report to the Salt Lake campus,” said Vice-Chancellor Syed Shamshul Alam.
The university was set up in 2008 by upgrading the famous Calcutta Madrasah which was started in 1781 by Warren Hastings, Governor General of Bengal. One of the oldest centres of higher learning and culture in the country, the institution has had many eminent scholars in its ranks. Aliah University was expected to harmonise tradition and modernity, and while its Islamic cources are run in the Calcutta Madrasah building, the other academic activities are conducted on different campuses at Salt Lake.
Middya joined Aliah University after an M.A. in Bengali from Jadavpur University. Having refused to kow-tow to the union, she has been unable to go to Aliah’s Calcutta Madrasah campus, and reports to the university’s library at Salt Lake. “Without taking any classes, I am given the full prescribed salary by the university,” said Middya.
“Most of the teachers do not like the diktat of the students to wear burqa. But they have no option but to accept it. This is Talibanisation of educational premises and there is no one to our rescue,” she said.
On June 4, nearly two months after she was virtually barred from the campus, Middya wrote to West Bengal’s Minister for Minority Development Abdus Sattar. She said she was yet to get a response.
Prior to this episode, Aliah University had faced another row when the students’ union held protests demanding that the word “madrasah” be added to its name.
With the university itself silent on the Middya issue, other teachers’ unions such as the All Bengal University Teachers Association (ABUTA) have decided to launch a movement.
“The university and the government should have protected this teacher and other teachers so that their fundamental rights were not infringed upon. Whereas in other parts of the world, even in Muslim countries, wearing a burqa is not mandatory, here the Left Front government has failed to protect the rights of the teacher,” said Tarun Naskar, general secretary of ABUTA.
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I am shocked , India is democratic country, here we have freedom of religion and practices, if there is freedom for one person to wear a burqa then why is their no choice if one female does not want to wear one, their is nothing anti-Muslim about it,friends we have to broaden our horizon.Their should be no insecurities.I think one should but the law of the country above all other practices , their should not be any prejudice against a Muslim Female, if a Hindu or Sikh females have freedom why not a Muslim Female.I think it is high time ! we should realize we were always a moderate society.I have never in years heard that a Muslim woman was forced to wear a Burqa , she always had a choice like a Sikh or A Hindu lady, even some Sikh sects also wear Hijab, But only because they wished to!
It's understandable that money can make people independent. But how to act when one doesn't have cash? The one way is to receive the business loans and just short term loan.
I think it is an university and not madarasa to observe dress code save, not administered by Taliban. The students are to learn from their masters and the fact here is reverese. Better the teacher quit rather than bend since self ride should not be overtaken by dictum of III rated whatsoever.
Dress or burqa cannot be forced by students. This is highly derogatory for a teacher to be told what to wear.
Congress led governments have made Indian muslims what they are now, that is, Islamic fundamentalists. The majority of the muslim youth have gone beyond a stage of no return and it seems they will not revert to moderate values. By majority it is means 99 %. The fact they support SIMI, PFI and other terrorist organisations is no surprise. The only thing the majoirty of them want is Talibanisation if India and imposing Islmaic values all over India. A hindu will remain a Kafir and will have to face conversion sooner tha later.
I think the West Bengal Muslim University is the consequence of recommendation of Sachchar committee to open five more Muslim universities linked to Aligarh Muslim University.This means our government wanted our Muslims to become more and more fanatic,starting from wearing of Burqa etc.Can any one teach the students comfortably in a Burqa?Government of India must let know its intentions as to what it wants of Muslims.Does it support Muslim Women wearing a burqa or not.This does not amount to interefering with Muslim religion on the analogy that government is tryig to amend Hindu marriage act etc.
I guess something is brewing up among Muslim students in the university. It needs to be investigated. They don't seem to be just normal students. I can smell a rat..
Is this really happening in democratic India ?!! I am ashamed. Tell the idiots that if they behave like Taliban, we will throw them off to Pakistan !
Chancellor, If you are man enough, you should protect lady like Sharin. Lady like Shabana Azmi should intervene in issues like this. In my view she is one among the true muslims who are rational and uses brain in right direction. Shaban, muslim women count on you.
Hmmm, I do not understand this. When some one in BJP ruled Karnataka said something, Congress was up in arms and National Human Rights Commission was up in arms. Why are they silent now? Why is BJP not moving the commission or the court or taking it to the streets?
Dear Vice Chancellor - You know that Education is above Religion , Dress Code, Caste etc. Let us raise our level of thinking and not let such issues to affect education.Please take the high road and allow Ms Middya to teach at the university.
RSS is doing all these. BJP is making west Bengal communal. This woman even though Muslim is RSS cadre.BJP is trying to win elections in WB. BJP is spoiling the nation. Actually CBI shd start inquiry and book Advani,Narendra Modi for all this even if they say they don't know.Always Students are right. They are our future.No one knows how many 'students' are from Bangaldesh. But we shd not tough them they are all Secular Minorities.
I respect the religious culture,at the same time everyone have the right follow the rules of our gov ..if dress code is not there then wht is the bullshit of making this issue,,even the students should know their limitions on lectures.
Plnt all these conspiracy theories in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
I respect the religious culture,at the same time everyone have the right follow the rules of our gov ..if dress code is not there then wht is the bullshit of making this issue,,even the students should know their limitions on lectures.
test
Kindly change the name of India to Talibastan.....Pl wake up and just for once , bring BJP to power.....this congress will ruin the country......................
Where are the PINK CHADDI WALAS, Send some PINK CHADDIS to the Aliah University... WOULD they dare to send? They wont because These pink chaddiwalas have time & again proved that they are secular when it comes to hindus & communal when it comes to Minorities...
Shameless so called SIC PARTIES INCLUDING ALL LEFTIST AND THEIR SUPPORTERS AND THEIR BEGGARS OF THEIR SUPPORT LEARN FROM FRANCE AND EVEN SYRIA A MUSLIM COUNTRY BANNED THIS BANE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM FOR INDIA TO BAN THIS CUSTOM AND ENACT A COMMON LAW FOR ALL INDIANS AND ABOLISH ALL OTHER BOARDS ETC. WAKE UP INDIA AND ELECT PROPER PEOPLE WHO WILL TREAT ALL INDIANS ON PAR NOT BY DIVIDING ON THE BASIS OS RELIGION,REGION,CASTE ETC AND STICK TO POWER AND MAKE TAINTED MONEY WITH THAT POWER LOOK WHAT THE LATE CM OF AP DID TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS WITH HIS POWER AND MADE THE STATE BANKRUPT. JAIHIND
So... The teacher does not have the freedom to decide????
Yes. Can you express the same feelings a teacher in Wester Attire is not allowed to teach in a Vidyapeeth where wearing Dhoti is a must. Then you will say that it is a tradition.
Going out without a burqa is normal, as most Indian women do it. But roaming about without a dhoti will be in bad taste, call it whatever.
Democracy means that every person has the right to live their lives in a way they chose to live, and as long as they do not break the law.Democracy in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India etc. is a farce, because the women is still a slave in many parts, and she is forced to wear Zorro like suffocating outfits (burka & dupatta) by very unsecured males. These unsecured and perhaps impotent male use religion to force these outfits on women, and they do not let the women breath properly.parda nahi jab koi khuda se, bandon se parda karna kya
when 'innocent' youths in the name of religion chops off hand of a college lecturer, when 'misguuided' moulavis bans teacher from teaching, it is the 'solemn' right of the ruling parties in state and centre to defend the kind of 'secularism' practiced all over the country. Let us all Forget all these 'trivial' issues of 'no consequence', and go after the non existant 'Hindu terrorism" now which is of prime concern of all and sundry.
SONIA MADAM IN THE NAME OF SECULARISM CAN YOU DECLAIRE A HOLIDAY IN INDIA AND CALL IT BURQA DAY YOU SHALL GET VERY MANY VOTES ESPECIALY FROM THE TALIBANS OF INDIA AND ON THAT DAY ALL OF YOU SHALL WEAR A PARDA
What can you expect from a nation ruled by these sycophants. It is only in India that a christian minister Ambika Soni can have the guts to say Ram was a mythological character from a story called Ramayana and nobody uttered a word against her. will any Hindu ever talk in such disrespect regarding the faith of others. Being a christian she wears a bindi on her forehead to fool the people in to thinking that she is a Hindu, which she is not. you can check wikipidia.
Well, Is India a free democratic country with freedom of speech and expresson?If my fellow citizens can agree on the negative,I will have no problem with this issue. Religious fanatics in the name of religion,caste,race created more problems since 'independence'.Acting like nomads is the norm lately.Again 'muslim university' where religious hatred is also taught and the students union with political affiliations infrigned on the 'freeom of expression' of Sirin Middya. The union must be taken to task by the university and the teacher allowed to exercise her freedom of dress code rather forcefully enforced. From the part of the govt.or UGC,the university is run with taxpayer grants/aids and must suspend such grants until such time,the illegal activities of the university and or the union is declared illegal.FREEOM - it is not Free.
This not Saudi Arabia! It is India. No one has a right to impose burqa in India. The administration should take strict action on such rowdy elements and the teachers union should take up the issue till the logical end. In Saudi Arabia all ladies have to wear burqa irrespective whether they are Hindus, Christian or Sikh. In India if such things allowed then in future Islamisation will slowly creep in and it will be too late to curb.
O my God, I thought we lived in year 2010.
There is no reason why she should be restrained from teaching. Wearing burqa is a personal issue.It should not be dictated upon.Now i fail to understand why the communist govt keeping silent on this very important and security related issue.At the same time congress and so called so many secular parties of india and secular leaders are keeping stone silent.If they keep silent this way,it will not only encourage talibanisation of education system,but also the society.Will these so called secular parties be able to control these talibanisation,if not now ? Look at pakistan and learn from the problems they are facing,even at their capital city islamabad.This is not secularism but talibanisation of society.ACT FAST.
Where are the communist and eminent personalities such as arundathandi roy, Teesta Setalvad etc. I am really shocked after reading this news. The CPI(m) must stop appeasing this small minority students and they must be expelled immediately. Our country is governed by IPC and not by shariah laws. This must be last incident in this country and taking action it must set an example