Shabana Azmi reacts to Kangana Ranaut’s comments on the hijab row in Karnataka

Kangana Ranaut took to her Instagram Story on Thursday and reacted on the current hijab row in Karnataka. She shared a post by author Anand Ranganathan and wrote, “If you want to show courage, show it by not wearing burqa in Afghanistan. Learn to break free, not cage yourself.” Reacting to Kangana’s statement, Shabana Azmi wrote, “Correct me if I am wrong but Afghanistan is a theocratic state and when I last checked, India was a secular democratic republic?”

Earlier on Wednesday, Javed Akhtar had also shared his views on the same and tweeted, “I have never been in favour of hijab or burqa. I still stand by that, but at the same time, I have nothing but deep contempt for these mobs of hooligans who are trying to intimidate a small group of girls and that too unsuccessfully. Is this their idea of ‘manliness’. What a pity.”

Hema Malini too had reacted to the controversy, saying, “Schools are for education and religious matters should not be taken there. Every school has a uniform that should be respected. You can wear whatever you want outside the school.” Kamal Haasan had also taken to Twitter and said, “What is happening in Karnataka is provoking unrest. A religious wall is being erected… What is happening in the neighboring state beyond the single wall should not come to Tamil Nadu. It is time for the progressive forces to be more careful.” — TMS