India + social media gives me hope

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Feb 16, 2022 at 01:31

Dear Dr Pipes, I have been following the Hijab controversy in India. What is at stake (on the surface) is a school/college's right to impose a uniform on the students vs a Muslim student's right to wear Hijab.
The matter is in the hands of the state High Court of the Karnataka state where the dispute first started. Everyone in India knows that there is a huge political component to this controversy and religion may be subservient.

What is really remarkable is the amount of debate that is going on in India on this topic. After having being ruled by Islamic and Western powers for 1300 years and then living under Nehru's socialist congress for 75 more, a lot of India is eager to talk. And, social media found the right place and time in India.

Luckily, unlike USA and Europe, India is neither fully a woke society nor a religious theocracy. Everything that has ever been said in favor or against Islam and Hijab is being said. India is educated and free enough to debate but is not yet sophisticated enough to be woke or politically correct.

The diversity of the opinions is amazing. On the one hand we have the Islamic apologists defending Islam and, on the other, we have Muslim liberals from the Muslim majority Kashmir state opposing Hijab. In between, there is the entire spectrum of Hindus none fully woke and none fully 'right-wing'.

I recall that many European countries went through the Hijab debate during the last few years. Some of them banned it half-heartedly and others agreed to pretend that Hijab was the best thing since sliced bread. No one had an open debate on the issue like the one that India is currently hosting. In any case, none of the European nations had the volume of humanity that could keep the debate alive for many days.

I do not envy the judges of the Karnataka High Court. The pro-hijab protests are spreading around the country and no matter what the judges decide, they can send the country into more protests and even violence.

But, no matter which way they decide, I doubt this chapter is the last one on this topic. India is playing the game by the right playbook: It is judging Islam by secular standards and India is being firm and polite (so far).

I have longed believed that Islam can be forced to change itself using non-violent means. I am seeing some early evidence of it in India and I am hopeful.

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