With Karnataka’s hijab controversy far from over, global terrorist group Al Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri demanded on April 5, 2022 that Indian Muslim react against “this oppression”, said Times of India.

In a nine-minute video, titled ‘The Noble Woman of India’ the terrorist leader praises Muslim student Muskan Khan for yelling “Allahu Akbar” outside her college in response to a group of right-group shouting “Jai Shri Ram” in the beginning of the hijab row. Zawahiri recited a poem of his own composition to praise Khan whom he called “a sister”.

Muskan and many other Muslim girls in Karnataka have been demanding a right to wear a hijab inside classrooms since the beginning of 2022. Little did they know that a demand they considered a part of their constitutional rights would be used by a group like Al Qaeda to lash out at India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries who have banned hijab in some form.

According to the Hindustan Times, Zawahiri called the ban a “war on Islam” tried to incite Indian Muslims to rise against the “pagan democracy”. The video alleging the aforementioned countries of being “allies of the West” also provides the first proof that since November that the most wanted terrorist is not only alive but invested in current events.

Around March 17, BJP leader and Vice President of Pre-University College Development Committee (CDC) Yashpal Survarna accused the six students of belonging to terrorist organisations. Accordingly, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Janendra said that the Al Qaeda video proves involvement of "unseen hands" behind the hijab row. BJP Spokesperson Amit Malviya built this further claimed that the terror outfit was using students to further its agenda.

Sources of the Times of India said that Zawahiri is located somewhere in Afghanistan. He was considered dead of natural causes in 2020 before an undated video suggesting he was alive.

Meanwhile, Muslims girls continue to face the consequences of the hijab ban. On March 28, journalist Imran Khan tweeted about a government college student in Ikkal who had to choose between writing her exam and taking off her hijab before entering the educational premises. As per the CDC norms, students only have to remove their headgear on entering classrooms or areas specified by the department.

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