'We are living peacefully in India': Muskan Khan's father to Al-Qaeda chief on latter's remarks over Hijab row

Bengaluru: After facing fire and flak over the video emerged in which Ayman Al Zawahiri, al-Qaida chief, purportedly praised Bibi Muskan Khan, a student of Udupi, for defending her right to wear the hijab, her father has distanced himself and the family from the controversy.

Mohammad Hussain Khan, Muskan’s father, told reporters in his home town of Mandya that that they don’t want any appreciation from the leader of a terror outfit. “We don’t know anything about it [video], we don’t know who he is. I saw him today for the first time. He says something in Arabic. . . In India, we all live peacefully like brothers with love and trust,” Khan said.

“His [Zawahiri] statement appears to be aimed at sowing discord and creating division among us Indians,” Khan said and added that the row has disturbed the peace in his family and he plans to enrol Muskan in a college that allows students to wear the hijab.

In February, Muskan, a second year BCom student enrolled in a college in Mandya, was heckled by a group of saffron shawl-clad students while she was entering the college in a burqa. Muskan had responded to shouts of “Jai Shri Ram” with a cry of “Allah-hu-Akbar. ”

Many Muslim individuals and organisations in India had “rewarded” Muskan for her bravery, but Khan had said he would donate the money for an ambulance for the government hospital in the district. “With God’s grace, we are leading a happy life without much struggle. We will use the money for a cause,” he had said.

JD(S) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy criticised al-Qaida for the video and said: “Kannadigas will not fall prey to al-Qaida designs. We are focusing on religious harmony here and do not want terrorist organisations to speak about these issues.”

In the purported video released on social media, Zawahiri praised Muskan through a poem which he allegedly penned. He was also critical of the hijab row.

Published on: Thursday, April 07, 2022, 08:54 PM IST