Headline

Hijab: Schools Ordered Shut In India As Protests Against Ban Intensify

Published

2 years ago

February 8, 2022

Authorities in southern India ordered schools to shut on Tuesday as protests intensified over a ban on Islamic headscarves that has outraged Muslim students.

The stand-off in Karnataka state has galvanised fears among the minority community about what they say is increasing persecution under the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fresh demonstrations on Tuesday saw officers fire tear gas to disperse a crowd at one government-run campus, while a heavy police presence was seen at schools in nearby towns.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed for calm after announcing all high schools in the state would be closed for three days.

“I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges… to maintain peace and harmony,” he said.

Students at a government-run high school were told not to wear hijabs last month, an edict that soon spread to other educational institutions in the state.

Campuses have seen escalating confrontations between Muslim students condemning the ban and Hindu pupils that say their classmates have disrupted their education.

“All of a sudden they are saying you are not supposed to wear hijab… why did they start now?” said Ayesha, a teenage student at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in the coastal city of Udupi.

Ayesha said a teacher had turned her away from her chemistry exam for wearing the garment.

“We are not against any religion. We are not protesting against anyone. It is just for our own rights,” she told AFP.

Fellow student Amrut, standing nearby among a crowd of Hindu boys wearing saffron shawls, said the dispute had unfairly prevented him from attending class.

“We had… requested them not to wear hijab,” he said. “But today they are wearing hijab. They are not allowing us to go inside.”

Karnataka’s top court began hearing a petition challenging the legality of the ban on Tuesday but adjourned before issuing a ruling.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party governs Karnataka state and several prominent members have thrown their support behind the ban.

Critics say Modi’s election in 2014 emboldened hardline groups who see India as a Hindu nation and are seeking to undermine its secular foundations at the expense of its 200 million-strong minority Muslim community.

Headline

Five-year-old Boy Shot Dead By Hijackers In South Africa

Published

12 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

A 5-year-old boy, Ditebogo Junior, was shot dead after his father’s Toyota Hilux was hijacked outside their home in Soshanguve, in the north of Gauteng, South Africa.

Police spokesperson, Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said that the child had gone out to welcome his father, Ditebogo Phalane, when he arrived home around 10:30pm on Friday, May 10, 2024.

“An unconfirmed number of armed suspects allegedly hijacked the father’s White Toyota bakkie and shot the five-year-old boy who later died in hospital,” Masondo said.

Phalane’s cousin, Gift Makoti took to X to share the heartbreaking news about the boy’s passing.

“My cousin was Hijacked hours ago in Soshanguve block Uu, they took his Bakkie. He was with his son, they shot the 5yr old boy!! He didn’t make it!! What has this country come to now!!!!!???! That’s a CHILD man!!!!!!” he wrote

He posted photos of the young boy, Ditebogo Phalane Jnr, with his father smiling and looking happy. He said that the boy’s father was inconsolable.

“He and his son had a strong bond. His son was always out and about with him, keeping him company. I don’t know how he is going to live without his son,” he said

The tragic incident has left social media users shocked and angry.

Many have made contributions to help erect a tombstone for the boy.

Headline

American Comedian, James Gregory Is Dead

Published

14 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Editor

American comedian, James Gregory, known for calling himself “The Funniest Man in America” has passed on at the age of 78.

Gregory’s family said he died on Thursday, May 9, from cardiac complications.

James took up comedy in the early ’80s when he was 36 after years of working as a salesman, and, he became the first comedian to take the stage at the legendary Punchline club in Atlanta.

While he was known as a Southern comedian, he traveled all across the country performing shows for the next four decades.

His biggest claim to fame came when he dubbed himself “The Funniest Man in America” in the ’80s, and, later he took the URL domain “funniestman.com”, cementing himself in his fans’ minds as the funniest man.

He is survived by his three nieces and other extended family.

Headline

JUST-IN: 34 Dead, 16 Missing In Indonesia Floods

Published

24 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Editor

At least 34 people have died and 16 more were missing after floods on Sumatra island in western Indonesia, the spokesperson for the West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency said Sunday.

“Until now our data shows that 34 people died: 16 in Agam and 18 in Tanah Datar. At least 18 others are injured. We are also still searching for 16 other people,” Ilham Wahab told AFP, referring to two districts in West Sumatra province.

Details later…

AFP