“Welcome To Kerala’s Secular Circus: Where Hindutva Is Blamed In A Case Of Hijab Vs. Holy Cross”, The Commune, October 18, 2025
“In Kerala, secularism often feels less like a constitutional principle and more like a travelling circus, each act choreographed to showcase that the “real threat” to harmony is somehow always the Hindu majority, even when the fight onstage has nothing to do with them. The latest hijab row at St. Rita Public School in Kochi exposed this farcical dynamic in full colour.
A Muslim student demanded her right to wear the hijab in a Christian-run institution. The school, backed by a High Court interim order and police protection, said no, the uniform applies to all. Within hours, Education Minister and CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty intervened, ordering the school to permit the hijab. It was the perfect opportunity for the Left to parade its “secular” credentials while subtly wooing Muslim votes under the guise of constitutional liberty.
But the Church wasn’t amused. The Syro-Malabar media commission blasted the minister’s interference as a gift to communal elements targeting Christian educational institutions. Even Deepika Daily, the Church’s own mouthpiece, published an editorial warning against surrendering to “religious fundamentalism” dressed up as rights discourse. By Wednesday, the same minister who had thundered about freedom of choice was suddenly pleading for calm and consensus, conveniently after realising he had stepped on ecclesiastical toes…….”
Read full article at thecommunemag.com
