‘Hijab Is My Right & Choice’: Muskan Khan Says Girls Can Now Return To Classrooms As Karnataka Lifts Ban
‘Hijab Is My Right & Choice’: Muskan Khan Says Girls Can Now Return To Classrooms As Karnataka Lifts Ban Reported By, Last Updated: May 23
‘Hijab Is My Right & Choice’: Muskan Khan Says Girls Can Now Return To Classrooms As Karnataka Lifts Ban Reported By, Last Updated: May 23, 2026, 07:00 IST "I will not speak about how hijab is mandatory in Islam. I will speak about my right. I will speak about my choice," says Muskan Khan, who had become the face of Karnataka protests Rapid Read Muskan Khan said the controversy directly affected her education. (News18 Hindi File) Muskan Khan emerged as one of the most recognisable faces of Karnataka’s hijab protests with her photograph showing her raising her hand and shouting out ‘Allahu-Akbar’ when a group of saffron shawl-clad students asked her to remove her veil before she entered college. With the state government’s latest order allowing students to wear limited religious symbols along with prescribed uniforms, many Muslim hijabi girls, like Muskan, whose education was disrupted during the controversy, are relieved. Muskan and several students had insisted on wearing the hijab while continuing their education during the previous BJP government’s restrictions on religious attire in educational institutions. Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Muskan described the move as the restoration of a right many students had fought for. “I would like to thank the Karnataka government for taking this good step. Thank them all for standing with us and giving our rights back because, due to the hijab ban, a lot of girls dropped their exams. Now we can easily continue our studies," she said.
THE AFTERMATH Muskan said the controversy had directly affected her education and forced her to alter her academic plans. “During the exams, this protest happened and they started giving us a choice between religion and education. Due to all that, our exams were affected and then I went to an open university because a lot of colleges refused to give me admission. So I moved to an open university and joined other courses and completed them," she said. THE DAY OF PROTEST Recalling the day she became the centre of national attention during the protests, Muskan said she had initially walked into college without knowing the situation outside. “I just went to give an assignment. I was not aware that this hijab protest was going on. I saw a lot of boys coming against me and telling me to remove the hijab. I thought I would just move from there. But I saw two or three boys coming in front of me and chanting slogans. So at that moment, I chanted Allahu Akbar just to protect myself. Remember, how Gandhi ji had said, ‘Hey Ram’ before he died? He called his God when he was under attack, I called my God when I felt under threat," she said. She also said college authorities had stepped in. “Our lecturers and teachers came forward to support me and protect me. Our principal also came and protected me," she added.
ON GOVT ORDER On whether the latest order could encourage more girls to continue their education, Muskan repeatedly framed the issue around personal choice and rights. “Hijab is my right. Hijab is my choice. I will not speak about how important it is to wear the hijab in my religion. I will not speak about how it is mandatory in Islam. I will speak about my right. I will speak about my choice," she said. “No one can stop me because every girl has her own right. Every girl should decide what she wants to wear." Clarifying her position on uniforms, Muskan argued that the hijab did not interfere with dress codes followed by educational institutions. “Hijab is just a veil. This is niqab, this is burqa. We are fighting for the hijab. As officially the order has been passed, they said that the uniform is not disturbed. As usual, we wear the uniform and over that we are just going to wear the veil," she said. She also had a message for students who had dropped out during the protests. “Now the official order has been passed and we got our rights back. Every girl who wants to wear a hijab and continue her studies can come forward and continue because education is the main platform of our life and we need to concentrate on this." “I would like to encourage all the girls who dropped their exams due to the hijab ban — please come forward and continue your studies.
Especially those young girls in Udupi. Many of them could not continue for a long time. This break in education causes a lot of issues later in their future as well," she said. For Muskan, she says the fight now shifts away from protests and back towards classrooms. “Now we got our rights back, so we need to concentrate on education because education is the main platform. If we educate ourselves, I think we would understand our rights." “If I was not educated, then I would have never stood there because education is one thing which teaches us our rights and makes us bold and brave. We need to focus on education and we need to educate ourselves," she said as she aspires to become a lawyer one day. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 23, 2026, 07:00 IST News india ‘Hijab Is My Right & Choice’: Muskan Khan Says Girls Can Now Return To Classrooms As Karnataka Lifts Ban Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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