Monthly Archives: March 2022

As an optimist, I believe the world is generally improving, though it is not always easy to see how. The past two years certainly have shaken that optimism. Liberalism appears to be on the retreat: governments worldwide have adopted distinctly anti-liberal attitudes and policies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The words protests and terrorism have become synonymous in the halls of Congress and the Canadian Parliament, with the Canadian government even going so far as to seize assets of nonviolent protestors.

The values and ideals for which many have fought and died are being killed off in committees or decried as outdated ideas. Liberalism is decried as bourgeois by the Left. The Right sees liberalism as too weak to combat formidable adversaries like Russia and China. We liberals are on the defensive, thats for sure.

There have been bright spots, however. Shortly after declaring a state of emergency, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was forced to retreat from his position and ended the State. The US Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down various overreaching measures by the Biden administration. The current anti-liberal elites (and by elites I mean those who fancy themselves opinion-makers, such as politicians, celebrities, and intelligentsia regardless of political affiliation) see these items as, at best, temporary setbacks; they are the death throes of an obsolete ideology and nothing more.

The anti-liberal elites believe they have all the power. History and Science are on their side. They and they alone are the arbiters of Right and Wrong. Their positions as politicians, professors, priests, and performers grant them the insight needed to direct society. Liberalism was all well and good in the 18th and 19th centuries. Still, Science has advanced to such a level that liberalism is no longer needed. Liberalism will soon be ground beneath the wheel of time. It is destiny, after all.

The idea of destiny helps people believe there is an order to life. And there is order. But it is not the directed order of a cabal of Big Thinkers nor the machinations of supernatural beings. Instead, it is the emergent order of billions and billions of people. People working together. People responding to challenges. People acting on values and virtues. This emergent order often differs from the elites plans, requiring them to rely more and more on punishment to get their way.

Punishment, however, is not an effective way to operate a society. In the 1977 science fiction classic Star Wars: A New Hope, the heroine, and leader of a band of rebels, Princess Leia, is captured and brought before the evil Governor Tarkin aboard his planet-destroying battle station. After Tarkin brags about its destructive power, Leia quips: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. Her predictions are borne out: after unleashing the Death Stars destructive power, the Rebels ranks swell, and the evil Empire is ultimately overthrown.

Some liberals believe we are at a Tarkinian moment right now. The elites have overplayed their hands. They act as though they have the power, but their actions indicate they fear they are losing it. People will go along with restrictions for only so long, especially when those restrictions severely reduce their ability to live a good life. As the Powers That Be continue to tighten their grip, more folks will resist.

I, however, do not believe we are at a Tarkinian moment quite yet. We are approaching it, yes, but what we are seeing is something temporarily prior but much more important: a Leia moment. In the same Star Wars story (but different movie), the Rebel Alliance is a loosely connected band of dissenters. Theres little real leadership. Despite a resolve, no one knows how to fight the Empire, which has massive resources at its command.

When it is discovered that the Empire is building the Death Star, all hope is lost, and talks begin among the nominal Rebel leadership of surrender. But a group of Rebel spies infiltrate an Imperial base and steal the plans for the Death Star to discover and exploit a weakness. The spies transmit the plans to Leia, whose face illuminates with happiness at their success. When her officer asks her what the transmission they received is, she responds with just one word: Hope.

Without hope, no movement can succeed. Through much of the past two years, liberals had little reason to hope. But now, we do. More and more folks are willing to listen to us again. Anti-liberalism remains a threat, but it is beginning to retreat worldwide.

To be sure, while we have hope, we do not have victory yet. Before the final victory was achieved, the Rebel Alliance would have to fight for five more long and bloody years, suffering significant setbacks. So, too, do we liberals continue to face threats.

We must remain optimists. Liberalism has faced such existential crises before. Many of those who believed that History is theirs to control, who believed their cause was inevitable, now lie in the ash heap of history. We mustnt rest on our laurels, but we can take hope in the fact that liberalism is a hardy weed, not a delicate flower.

Jon Murphy is currently an economics PhD student at George Mason University specializing in Law & Economics and Smithian Political Economy. He has previously worked as an economic consultant in New Hampshire. Mr. Murphys interests include environmental issues, international trade, political economy, and sports economics. He also blogs at http://www.jonmmurphy.com

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A Liberal Moment, But Which One? - Brownstone Institute

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Media outlets are repeating a liberal talking point while reporting on the HB 1557 education reform bill being passed in Florida.

A GOP-backed bill garnered national attention for being derided by progressives as being anti-LGBTQ with accusations that the bill forbids any discussion pertaining to being gay in schools. Left-wing critics have referred to the legislation as the "Don't Say Gay" bill even though such language is absent from the bill itself.

The bill, officially named Parental Rights in Education, states, "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."

DESANTIS ACCUSES REPORTER OF PEDDLING FALSE NARRATIVE ON EDUCATION BILL IN HEATED PRESS CONFERENCE CLASH

The legislation additionally requires schools to inform parents "if there is a change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student" and requires parent approval before children from kindergarten through third grade participate in a "well-being questionnaire or health screening" and that parents have the option to opt their children out across all age groups.

Following a 22-17 vote in the Florida Senate, the bill now heads to the governor's desk. Numerous outlets, however, provided a partisan framing to the vote, using the "Don't Say Gay" characterization of the reform effort.

Demonstrators protest inside the Florida State Capitol, Monday, March 7, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida House Republicans advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The Associated Press ran the headline "Dont Say Gay bill passes in Florida, goes to governor" with AP reporter Zeke Miller tweeting, "The Florida legislature has passed the Dont Say Gay bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign into law."

The three broadcast networks were in sync with the framing of their stories with ABC News running, "'Don't Say Gay' bill passes Florida Senate," CBS News running, "Florida Senate passes controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bill despite protests" and NBC News running "Dont Say Gay bill: Florida Senate passes controversial LGBTQ school measure."

REPORTER MOCKED FOR TWEETING OUT GOV. DESANTIS' ROAST OF HIS QUESTION ABOUT SO-CALLED DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

The Independent went dramatic with its story, "Another stain in the history of Florida: Dont Say Gay passes state legislature, will be signed into law," quoting Democratic Florida Senator Shevrin Jones, an openly gay member of the state Senate. The Guardian was also aggressive with its headline, "Dont say gay bill: Florida senate passes law marginalizing LGBTQ+ people." Time Magazine published "Florida Just Passed The 'Don't Say Gay' Bill. Heres What It Means for Kids."

Screenshot of a Associate Press headline, reading "'Don't Say Gay' bill passes in Florida, goes to governor.'

Two of Florida's largest papers The Miami Herald and The Orlando Sentinel, printed "Student voices are loud, but Florida Republicans are clear. Dont say gay bill passes" and "Florida lawmakers approve Dont Say Gay' bill, DeSantis expected to sign it" respectively.

The Hill ran a story focused on the backlash of the bill, running the headline, "Hundreds of Florida students stage walkout to protest 'Don't Say Gay' bill. The story omitted the specific kindergarten-third grade clause of the legislation, writing the bill is focused on "primary school students."

Other outlets like The Washington Post and Reuters refrained from using "Don't Say Gay" in their headlines but maintained the tone of the slogan with "Florida legislature passes bill to restrict LGBTQ topics in elementary schools" and "Florida lawmakers pass bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in school" respectively.

DESANTIS ASKING STUDENTS TO TAKE OFF MASKS RESULTS IN MEDIA 'MELTDOWNS' DESPITE MASKLESS SOTU ADDRESS

CNN ran the story "Florida legislature passes bill prohibiting some classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity," burying any mention that the children it involves are kindergarten to third grade age to the seventh paragraph, which quoted DeSantis' defense of the bill.

NPR offered the most context in its headline, "Florida Senate passes a controversial schools bill labeled 'Don't Say Gay' by critics," appearing to evolve from its previous coverage last month when it ran a story titled, "'Don't Say Gay' bill would limit discussion of sexuality and gender in Florida schools."

DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw told Fox News Digitial, "The fact that so many corporate media outlets are using the utterly false Dont say gay branding a Democrat epithet for the parental rights bill just proves they cannot defend their actual position. Most Floridians, whether gay or straight, support parental rights and do not want children to be exposed to sexually inappropriate content. This is not only common sense; its common decency."

Demonstrators protest inside the Florida State Capitol, Monday, March 7, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida House Republicans advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

On Monday, DeSantis clashed with local reporter Evan Donovan at a press conference on "what critics call the Dont Say Gay' bill."

"Does it say that in the bill?" DeSantis asked. "Does it say that in the bill?"

As Donovan attempted to respond, DeSantis interjected, "I'm asking what's in the bill because you are pushing false narratives. It doesn't matter what critics say."

BIDEN: FLORIDA BILL ADDRESSING SEX, GENDER CONVERSATIONS IN CLASSROOMS IS 'HATEFUL ATTACK' ON GAY CHILDREN

Donovan then tried quoting the text of the bill, "It says Classroom instruction on sexual identity and gender orientation," but was pummeled further by the governor.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a joint session of a legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

"For who?" For grades pre-K through three, no five-year-olds, six-year-olds, seven-year-olds," DeSantis told the reporter. "And the idea that you wouldn't be honest about that and tell people what it actually says, it's why people don't trust people like you because you peddle false narratives. And so we just disabused you of those narratives."

"And we're going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum," DeSantis added.

Last week, DeSantis had a similar exchange with another reporter where he elaborated on his support for the legislation.

"How many parents want their kindergarteners to have transgenderismor something injected into classroom instruction? AndsoI think those are very young kids. I think the legislature is basically trying to give parents assurance that theyregonnabe able to go and this stuff's notgonnabe there," DeSantis said.

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"But theres nothing in the billthat says anything about 'youcan'tsay' or this say. Itsbasically saying for our youngest students do you really want them to be taught aboutandthis is any sexual stuff, but I think clearly right now, we see a lot of focus on the transgenderism telling kids that they may be able to pick genders and all that. I dont think parents want that for these young kids,so I think thats what they were trying to do, and I think thats justifiable," he continued.

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AP, other outlets repeat liberal 'Don't Say Gay' talking point on Florida education bill as legislation passes - Fox News

This weeks Liberal Media Scream features a rare case of a news source pushing back against the bias of a big-shot news host, this time NBC anchor Lester Holts view that minorities are targeted by biased police.

Doing the pushing back was former President Donald Trumps attorney general, William Barr, who challenged Holts positive view of Black Lives Matter and rejected the liberal statement that police are racists.

In a special about Barr, who is pitching his new book, One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney, the former attorney general was his typical matter-of-fact self, stopping Holt dead in his tracks when he said, Black men are the subject of three times as many traffic stops by police.

Barr responded, That sometimes is a function of where the police are. Police go where the crime is.

From the Sunday night NBC News special, "Bill Barr: In the Eye of the Storm":

LESTER HOLT: Can we talk about the "big lie"?

BILL BARR: Which one is that?

HOLT: Well, you write about the "big lie" being Black Lives Matter.

BARR: Yeah.

HOLT: What did you mean by that?

BARR: Black Lives Matter is based on the premise that the main threat to black welfare in the inner city are out-of-control police force that gratuitously kill African Americans. Thats simply not borne out by the facts.

HOLT, NARRATION: As the nations top law enforcement official, Bill Barr always had hard-line views on crime and how to fight it. In 1992, when Barr was attorney general the first time, he wrote a memo called The Case for More Incarceration the kind of tough, "lock em up" policy thats been cited as a leading cause of destabilizing black communities.

HOLT TO BARR: 1 in 3 black men will be incarcerated sometime in their lifetime, 1 in 17 for white men. Can you not see how that shapes the perception and makes people want to rally around the idea of Black Lives Matter?

BARR: Well, I understand the perception, and I think theres ambivalence. Thats what I have found on the one hand, there is a concern that, when they encounter police, theyre not given the benefit of the doubt and theyre treated as second-class citizens, and theres definitely that concern. On the other hand, I think they also understand that the police are there to try to make their community safer, that its a very tough job and they want more police.

CROWD: Black Lives Matter! No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!

HOLT: In society, do you believe theres such a thing as systemic racism?

BARR: I actually think the whole idea is a cop-out. I think racism exists in peoples, individuals souls.

HOLT: By dismissing systematic racism, are you not dismissing the pain of African American families that have to sit down with their children and have the talk because theyre afraid a simple traffic stop could lead to their deaths?

BARR: No, I dont you know, I dont I dont ignore that

HOLT: "Dismiss" is the term I used.

BARR: I dont dismiss that as a reality. I dont think that police are racist and, as a general matter

HOLT: You dont see bias in police?

BARR: No, in every study of the situation that Im familiar with says there is no bias. The numbers are the product of the number of interactions police have.

HOLT: Yeah, and black men are the subject of three times as many traffic stops by police.

BARR: Right. And that sometimes is a function of where the police are. Police go where the crime is.

Brent Baker, vice president of research and publications for the Media Research Center, explains our weekly pick: Since it happens so rarely, its great to see an interviewee press back in real time against the loaded liberal premise pushed by a star TV journalist. Holt seemed baffled that someone wouldnt see the world through his liberal prism, where America is racist and police enforce that racism, and thus Black Lives Matter should be treated as a heroic cause.

RATING: THREE out of FIVE SCREAMS.

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Liberal Media Scream: Lester Holt fights truth that police are where crime is - Washington Examiner

On March 8th, 2022, at approximately at 2:36pm, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) K9 Police Officer Nicholas Jackson (PO Jackson) conducted a traffic stop in Cibola County, New Mexico on Interstate 40, at the 107 mile marker, within the exterior boundaries of the Pueblo of Laguna on a 2017 Ford Explorer SUV bearing a Kansas license plate for failure to signal. Upon initial contact, Police Officer Jackson observed several drug paraphernalia items and one suspected blue colored fentanyl pill in plain view along with the odor of burnt marijuana. Officer Jackson later identified tradecraft associated with illegal smuggling activities during general conversations with the male driver and the female passenger as he issued a warning. The driver and passenger both later denied consent to search the SUV. Cibola County K9 Deputy Julian Armijo and US Homeland Security Special Agent responded to the scene for assistance. During the search, approximately 3 plastic parcels containing a multiple suspected Fentanyl imprinted with M-30 concealed under the center console within the factory void space. The pills were later field tested to be Fentanyl. The driver and passenger later confessed to transporting the Fentanyl from Phoenix, Arizona to Liberal, Kansas. Investigation continues by HSI Special Agents.Total Weight 473.437 Gross Grams or 1.04 Gross Pounds

Street Value $ 69,120.78

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Drugs Heading to Liberal Stopped in New Mexico - KSCB News.net

The Liberal City Commission met Tuesday evening at the MaHuron Park Building and heard an update on the status of the Gun Range. Discussion was also held on UTV side by sides, and the Commissioners approved a rezone of property from Industrial 1 to Commercial 2. The address is listed as 371 E. Pancake Boulevard and is owned by Monalicia Arredondo.

The commission approved the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and the advertising thereof for 2 projects at the airport. The Commission also held discussion on mya Quit Claim Conveyance with Park Properties and approved a temporary road closure during certain hours during the school day near MacArthur School.

The Commission was updated on the Lab Equipment and a Septage Receiving Station for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, amended an easement and maintenance agreement, and discussed a name change for Cann Creek. For legal purposes it will now be called Cann Ditch.

The City approved accepting a trust fund grant in the amount of $90,000.00 for repairs to the depot.

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Liberal City Commission Meets, Hears Update on the Gun Range - KSCB News.net

It's getting really expensive to operate a car as gas prices soar, but Ohioans have one big advantage over residents of most states, according to this NerdWallet analysis posted on MarketWatch.

NerdWallet examined car insurance rates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and found that the average cost is $1,630 per year with some significant state-by-state variations.

In the most-expensive state, Louisiana, it costs $2,839 per year to insure a car. Michigan is second, at $2,112, and Florida is third, at $2,082.

By contrast, Ohio was among the five least-expensive states, at $992 per year. Ever-frugal Maine led the way, at $858.

The analysis found that in general, "states with cheaper car insurance may have lower levels of required car insurance, more insurance company competition, lower crime rates, lower rates of uninsured drivers, fewer total claims from drivers, drivers who overall drive fewer miles and/or less extreme weather."

Ohio's a little hit-or-miss on those criteria, but we'll take the lower-than-typical rates.

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Does the Fed have a liberal bias? - Crain's Cleveland Business

Its designed to save the seat of the member for Brighton after he almost lost it at the last election. The Liberals support for coal and opposition to renewable energy is well known to Victorians, Ms DAmbrosio said in a written statement.

Mr Newbury is also likely to face resistance from some MPs in his own party who do not see climate as a natural issue for conservatives. At the 2018 election, the state Coalition proposed a new power station, to be fuelled by the cheapest alternative out of coal, gas or renewables. Peak body Environment Victoria lambasted the policies in 2017, arguing the Coalition had gone the full Trump.

Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily DAmbrosio.Credit:Joe Armao

On Monday, Mr Newbury criticised the Andrews government, saying it had spent years pursuing its renewable energy transition without sufficient focus on securing private sector funding or creating investment certainty for businesses.

The Liberal Party, which sees itself as the party for business, would work more closely with the private sector and accept targets because governments should set thresholds to measure their performance, just like a business would, he said.

Companies will say theyre investing in NSW because we feel theres more certainty thats a very regular comment, he said.

Professor Bruce Mountain, director of the Victorian Energy Policy Centre, said it had been a slow process to create a degree of bipartisanship on energy policy in Victoria. He said cross-party support for phasing out fossil fuels was well established in states including NSW, South Australia and Tasmania.

I havent seen an unequivocal Liberal Party position on decarbonisation, and it sounds like they have one now, he said, adding that it would be beneficial to enshrine interim targets in legislation.

Its good to see they intend to back net zero.

The Liberals will also need to manage the concerns of community groups in western Victoria who, along with a number of Victorian Liberal MPs, do not support a transmission line connecting renewable energy projects from Ararat to Melbourne. A protest against the powerlines will be held at state Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Newbury has criticised the government for its handling of the transmission lines issue, and has called the government environmental frauds for its tax on electric vehicle drivers.

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The Coalition is shifting its environmental stance as Liberals around Australia grapple with the threat of well-funded independent candidates running on a climate change agenda. The Liberals Party is now facing the threat of losing support to independents campaigning on climate and integrity in politics. Simultaneously, Clive Palmers United Australia Party is pulling the Coalition in the other direction by appealing to suburban and regional voters disaffected by years of strict pandemic measures.

State governments including Victoria and NSW have made renewable energy a central plank of their reform agendas. Victorian Liberal MPs also took note of the recent byelection in Gladys Berejiklians former seat of Willoughby, where her successor suffered a 13.5 per cent primary vote swing and almost lost to an independent. Mr Newbury almost lost the blue-ribbon seat of Brighton at the 2018 election.

Mr Newbury also holds the partys equality portfolio, where he had the difficult task of gaining internal party support to halt proposed amendments of the governments gay conversion therapy ban. He was met with strong pushback from some MPs, including hard-right upper house MP Bernie Finn.

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Were not the party of 2018: State Liberals adopt net zero target - The Age

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) greets South African President Jacob Zuma (R) during their bilateral meeting at the BRICS 2015 Summit on July 8, 2015 in Ufa, Russia. (Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images)

South Africa's Constitution might espouse the very values that the Western-led liberal order now seeks to defend against Russia, but this country's leaders do not believe in it, writes Pieter du Toit.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated the ANC government's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine by emphasising the need for "meaningful engagement" and "negotiation" between the two countries.

He did this amid Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening Ukraine with its very statehood, saying that the country's future as a legal entity is at stake should its government not comply with Putin's demands. And he did it without recognising that it is Russia who is waging this war of aggression and expansion and by pretending that both countries are somehow equal in this conflict. His argument and statement create the impression that it is merely the willingness to engage that is preventing a ceasefire and a negotiating process from commencing.

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Pieter du Toit | The liberal order is the problem, and that's why Ramaphosa and the ANC support a dictator - News24

With John Majors government in trouble, the Lib Dems threw everything into the by-election campaign. Chidgeys margin of victory would have been even greater had not Labours vote held solid, polling day coming less than a month after the death of the partys respected leader John Smith.

Arriving at Westminster as the Lib Dems 23rd MP, Chidgey criticised the Department of Employment for targeting Big Issue vendors as likely social security fraudsters, and complained that Hampshire, as the most defence-dependent county, had suffered unduly from cuts after the end of the Cold War.

After a spell as employment spokesman, in November 1995 Paddy Ashdown moved him to Transport. Chidgey urged renegotiation of rail privatisation to maximise improvements for passengers instead of benefiting lawyers and accountants, claiming that the process was driven by the manic belief that competition and market forces are the ultimate goal in trying to provide an efficient railway system.

He was not expected to hold Eastleigh at the 1997 election, partly because of adverse boundary changes, but defied the sceptics to win re-election by 754 votes as New Labour romped to power.

That September, Chidgey moved on to shadow DTI ministers, pressing for a crackdown on anti-competitive practices among funeral directors.

In 1999, Ashdowns successor Charles Kennedy made him foreign affairs and international development spokesman on Africa. When he left the front bench after increasing his majority at the 2001 election, he maintained that interest on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. He also served on the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Speakers panel of committee chairmen.

He stood down at the 2005 election, when Huhne held Eastleigh by 568 votes, and was immediately created a life peer. For his first two years in the Lords he was a defence spokesman, and in 2009-10 a delegate to the Council of Europe. But increasingly his focus was on Africa.

In 2007 Chidgey was appointed to the governing council of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa. The following year, he became chairman of the oversight committee for the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit.

Later, he chaired or co-chaired the Lib Dems parliamentary committee on international development, and the all-party groups on Africa and the Commonwealth. He was a freeman of the City of London and the Borough of Eastleigh, and a liveryman of the Carmens Company.

David Chidgey married April Idris-Jones in 1965. She survives him with their son and two daughters.

David Chidgey, born July 9 1942, died February 15 2022

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Lord Chidgey, Liberal Democrat who captured Eastleigh from the Tories in a spectacular by-election victory obituary - The Telegraph

It is astonishing that the so-called intellectuals, progressivist and feminist writers, and human rights and social revolutionaries are completely silent on burqa and hijab

Thehijabcontroversy, which arose from Udupi, Karnataka, looks unlikely to stop. Such demands, which started from the last week of December 2021, are now gaining momentum in other schools and colleges of Karnataka as well. Slogans like No Hijab No Kitab are being raised. In protest against them, at some places, boys and girls of the majority society also started reaching schools and colleges by wearing saffronpatkasand scarves around their necks.

The Karnataka High Court has banned this type of dress (hijabor saffron scarf) in educational institutions till the hearing of the case and advised students to go to school in uniform and educational institutions to start classes. Surely, the court will give its final decision keeping this in view as to what and how much justification is there for such demands in the temples of education. It is not that such cases have come before the court for the first time.

File image of Karnataka High Court. WikimediaCommons

In a similar case, on 15 December 2016, the Supreme Court, while rejecting the demand of Mohammed Zubair, who was serving in the Air Force, to have a beard on the basis of religious beliefs, had said: The regulations and policies in regard to personal appearance are not intended to discriminate against religious beliefs nor do they have the effect of doing so. Their object and purpose is to ensure uniformity, cohesiveness, discipline and order which are indispensable to the Air Force, as indeed to every armed force of the Union.

The Supreme Court in this judgement had upheld the plaintiffs expulsion from service while rejecting the argument that it was mandatory to keep a beard in Islam. Legal experts are also of the opinion that schools, colleges, offices or any institution has the right to decide its dress code. And the students studying in it and the staff working there also have the option not to attend the concerned institution. Everyone has complete freedom in their respective homes, places of worship or prayer to follow the religious beliefs, but since the person goes to the institutions voluntarily, it is necessary to follow the dress code, rules and discipline applicable there.

In a free, sovereign, secular and constitutionally governed country like India, the customs or practices of a particular religion or sect cannot be imposed on institutions. This will create a state of anarchy there. Such a situation will also hamper and affect the spirit of national unity, equality and fraternity. Moreover, in many Islamic countries,burqaandhijabare banned in various institutions. According to Arif Mohammad Khan and other Islamic experts,hijabandburqaare not mandatory in Islam. OnlyKalma, Namaz, Roja, ZakatandHajjare mandatory.Hajj, too, is mandatory only for those who are financially capable.

An Indian Muslim woman holds a placard during a protest against banning Muslim girls wearing hijab from attending classes at some schools in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. AP

The insistence and obsession of wearingburqaandhijabin educational institutions are regressive ideas. These young girls, who are being used as weapons to permeate the politics of religious bigotry and separate identity, may not know that these demands will become their fetters some day. It should be noted that the story of Talibanisation of Afghanistan also started with similar demands and the women and girls there had to pay the highest price. In the name of Sharia law, not only in Afghanistan but also in many other Islamic countries, women and girls have to go through many restrictions and inhuman conditions.

The student-organisation 'Campus Front of India', which is mobilising support for demands likehijabandburqain schools in Karnataka and running the hashtags, is associated with radical Islamic organisation 'PFI' involved in anti-national activities. Organisations like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen coming out openly in support of the agitating girl students, sharp reaction by the Pakistan government, the issuance of statement by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and now advocate of the petitioners Devdutt Kamat's recommendation to postpone the hearing till the elections in five states all this is a strong indication of the forces and the conspiracy behind the scenes. Till today, Muslim girls continued to go to school and college withoutburqaandhijab, why did they suddenly feel its necessity? Rather, by the end of the 20th century, thehijabwas almost negligible in India. It is ridiculous that some people are justifying this by citing the issue of security. What danger do they have in their school-college classrooms, from their teachers and classmates? Such a weak and lame argument!

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Also Read

Interview | Hijab is akin to chastity belt that turns women into sex objects, says Taslima Nasrin as she bats for Uniform Civil Code

Karnataka hijab controversy: Indian democracy enters uncharted territory of grave danger

Opinion | On Hijab Day, the only choice is to drop the cloth for No Hijab Day

Karnataka hijab controversy: Why Modi government should seriously think about Uniform Civil Code

History will not be kind to liberals cheerleading for hijab and burqa

The planned Udupi hijab spark and the need for Uniform Civil Code

Udupi hijab row: A pre-planned move to stoke communal tension in Karnatakas sensitive coastal belt?

Theres a good case to ban hijab in schools, but Congress cheers orthodoxy

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Whereas common, liberal and progressive Muslim women themselves should think that only by resorting to such customs and practices, obstacles have been kept in the way of their progress till date. Their high flights have been shunned and dreams strangled. It would be ironic that on the one hand, the chains of holdback are melting all around, the dirt that has accumulated in the repressive hearts and minds over centuries is being cleansed, the walls of the thresholds are being traversed, and millions of daughters of India have achieved new records of success. On the other hand, in the liberal, modern and today's scientific era, this kind of stubbornness and passion is being nurtured, encouraged and motivated.

It is astonishing that the so-called intellectuals, progressivist and feminist writers, human rights and social revolutionaries and all the advocates of change, who in the name of women's freedom and rights, issue a statement against wearing veils orpurdahsystem, against wearingmangalsutras, against wearing abindior vermilion, bangles, anklets, toenails and fasting, etc; they are completely silent onburqaandhijab. Many eminent stars and actresses have seemed oblivious to the tradition ofKanyadan, they have had a strong objection to this use of the word, but they do not get tired of telling people that wearingburqaorhijabis a freedom of choice and fundamental right.

Such intellectuals and pseudo-secularists must read the following excerpts from Bhimrao Ambedkar's famous book,Pakistan or Partition of India, published in the 1940s: Muslim women lag behind women of other castes because of the system of purdah. They are not able to participate in any kind of outdoor activities, due to which a kind of slavery and inferiority complex remains in them. They do not even have the desire to acquire knowledge because they are taught that they should not take interest in anything else outside the boundary wall of the house. Being deprived of a healthy social life leads to a wrong tendency in them. Being completely isolated from the outside world, their attention remains entangled in petty family disputes. The result of this comes in the form of narrow thinking and narrow outlooks. Thepurdahsystem is a real problem among Muslims whereas it is not so among Hindus. There is no evidence that Muslims have ever tried to end it. Social evils are also present in Hindus, but the good thing is that they accept their mistake and are running a movement against it. But Muslims do not even believe that there is any evil in their society.

In the above statement of Babasaheb, along with the illustration of the problem, the solutions are also embedded. It is true that in Hindu society too many evils flourished and spread at some point of time, but later some saint or social reformer started reformist movements against them and those movements also got wide public support. As a result, Hindu society has become almost free from all the evils like the practice of sati, purdah system, child marriage, mismatched marriage, untouchability, prohibition of widow marriage.

Unfortunately, Indian Muslim society not only shows an apathy towards liberal and reformist movements, but also often agitates in their resistance. Many people while simplifying the problem, explain illiteracy and poverty as the reason for the orthodox thinking and bigotry of Muslim society. They forget that Osama bin Laden was the engineer, Afia Siddiqui was the neuroscience specialist, Al Zawahiri a surgeon, Al Baghdadi had a PhD, and Hafiz Saeed was a lecturer. Even the youths who have joined Islamic State have also been highly educated.

The real problem of Muslim society is that it is not ready to change according to time and era. The stubbornness and obsession of any society to accept the things written thousands of years ago is neither practical nor suitable for today's civilised, liberal and scientific era. If not today then tomorrow, they will have to accept that time passes by leaving that society behind which keeps the dead bodies of orthodox ideas and customs.

The writer is aneducationist, columnist and writer. Views expressed are personal.

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Hijab row exposes double-standards for Left, liberal intellectuals and what they can learn from Ambedkar - Firstpost