Wow! Kangana Ranaut's Definition Of Courage Is Not Wearing Burqa In Afghanistan

After a very short period of silence, Kangana Ranaut has made a comeback with fresh controversy. This time, the actor has issues with Muslim students protesting for their right to practice their religion. Curiously, Ranaut's comments come very close to the release of her upcoming reality television show, which goes on air this month.

Many students of the Udupi district in Karnataka have been protesting since they were ousted from their college campus for wearing hijab in classrooms. Some of them also have filed petitions with the Karnataka High Court demanding a reversal of directives that prohibit them from wearing religious clothing to college campuses. The next hearing of the petitions is scheduled for February 14.

Kangana Ranaut Hijab Remark:

After Kangana Ranaut's Twitter account was permanently suspended for calling protesting farmers "terrorists", one hoped to not be bombarded with her pro-state opinions. Failing to break the streak, the actor again chimed in. On February 10, Ranaut shared a tweet on Instagram which showed two pictures of Iran fifty years apart. One had women posing in bikinis and the other had a sea of burqa-clad women. The author of the tweet had written, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Taking the cue, Ranaut wrote in the same post, "If you want to show courage, show it by not wearing burqa in Afghanistan. Learn to break free not cage yourself. "

Suggested Reading: Why Must Muslim Women Wearing Hijab Always Justify How Independent They Are?

Just to get a clear picture of what Ranaut said, she wants the students fighting for their right to wear hijab in a democratic country to go to a fundamentalist group ruled nation? And then she wants them to not wear burqa there to show "courage"? It is easy to assume that the actor has failed to grasp the point behind these protests by students. Kangana Ranaut fails to understand why school-going students are refusing to abandon their religious identity in the classroom. The actor does not know what it means to be part of the minority in a country polarised by the majority mindset.

The students at the top of their voices on the streets of Kundapur and other parts of Udupi district have not just been showing courage for the sake of it. They are forced to be this brave because otherwise they would be just giving up their fundamental rights.

What really does the actor mean by "learn to break free not cage yourself"? Is it fair of her to assume that all burqa, hijab-clad women are caged and the state government of Karnataka is helping them "break free"? The privileges of being part of the majority are immense, one of them is having a social media account with followers of similar mindsets and being able to write and post whatever suits you. Ranaut is in no way affected by the hijab protests, neither was she when farmers braved heat and extreme cold for a year to make the government accept their demands. Then what is the actor chasing?

Views expressed by the author are their own.