Ganesh idol row: Karnataka Waqf board welcomes move but asks for separate namaz rooms at schools

Sahadi added, “The phrase Allahu Akbar is always linked with terrorism. It is important that students learn the real meaning of the phrase so that it clears misconceptions.”

Nagesh’s statement on Ganesh Chaturthi also drew criticism from Campus Front of India, the students’ wing of People’s Front of India, which termed the statement “hypocritical” given the government’s opposition to girls’ wearing the hijab in classrooms.

Meanwhile, a Bengaluru-based Islamic scholar, Umar Shareef, said, “I am not in support of demanding a separate space for prayers. This would mean an unwarranted escalation of conflict in education institutions. Students can offer prayers even at their homes. However, when it comes to hijabs, we can only request the government to allow the girls to wear the hijabs in schools and colleges as per Islamic traditions.”