(Photo credit: WikiCommons)
Elham Asaad Buaras
Manchester United’s French star, Paul Labile Pogba, 28, has expressed solidarity with hijab-clad Muslim students in Karnataka, India.
The 2018 World Cup winner posted an Instagram video on February 10 in which a group of hijab-wearing students are harassed by Hindu male mobs. The men are heard shouting slogans with orange scarves around their necks with the caption, ‘Hindutva mobs continue to harass Muslim girls wearing hijab to college in India.’
The intervention of the popular Muslim footballer brings international attention to the ongoing issue. Last month, Muslim students wearing hijab and headscarves were asked to leave a government college in Udupi as the management alleged they violated the dress code.
The issue has since spread to different parts of Karnataka. A three-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court ruled that the wearing of hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice in Islam, affirming the ban on hijab imposed by the state government.
It is not the first time Pogba has lent his support to Muslim human rights and causes. Last season, he and his Manchester United teammate Amad Diallo held up a Palestinian flag following the final game of the season.
The duo’s public display of support for Palestine came as Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 219 Palestinians, including 63 children.
