Muslim students on Wednesday were denied entry in several pre-university colleges in India’s southern Karnataka state as they were asked to remove their hijabs before entering classes.

The colleges in India reopened on Wednesday after they remained closed for a week amid the dispute over the hijab ban.

Students refused to remove their headscarves in the Shivamogga city and preferred missing class instead, according to Press Trust of India, a news agency.

Footages shared on social media showed students at various colleges in Karnataka were being asked to remove their hijabs to attend classes, with most of them refusing to do so.

Last week, the Karnataka High Court blocked students from wearing religious garments until it makes a final ruling on the matter.

A three-judge panel has been hearing the case again since Monday to decide if schools and colleges can order students not to wear the hijab in classrooms.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai said on Wednesday that the court order applies to institutions that have a dress code.

“The order doesn’t apply to where there is no dress code," he said in a statement.

A group of Muslim women filed petitions against the government order banning the hijab on college premises. The hijab row erupted - WHEN - after a college in Karnataka told students to take off their headscarves inside the classroom.

Those protesting the move cited the Constitution that allows Indians to wear clothes of their choice and display religious symbols.

According to the Constitution, every citizen has the right to practice, profess and propagate religion. The right can be curtailed only on grounds of public order, morality, and health.

Meanwhile, India on Tuesday criticized the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after it expressed “deep concerns” over the ongoing hijab controversy and recent calls for genocide of Muslims by right-wing Hindu groups in India.

Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that the OIC “continues to be hijacked by vested interests to further their nefarious propaganda against India.

“Issues in India are considered and resolved in accordance with our constitutional framework and mechanisms, as well as democratic ethos and polity,” the official added.

The OIC urged the international committee, particularly the UN, to “take necessary measures” regarding the issue./aa

As the multiplicity of political parties is ensuring a tight contest, candidates in the Indian province of Punjab leave no stone unturned to lure even a minuscule Muslim population that accounts for less than 2% of the population.

Since the region witnessed the worst ever communal riots and large-scale migration in 1947, when India and Pakistan gained independence, the Muslim population was drastically reduced from 33% to 0.5%.

As per the 2011 Census, Muslims now account for 1.93%, with the majority of them inhabiting Malerkotla district -- the only Muslim-dominated district in India's Sikh-majority state.

Dressed in a black suit, Hassan Mohammad, a lawyer and an independent candidate, is campaigning door-to-door across different villages in the state's Malerkotla district, which has a 70% Muslim population.

"When I go to meet people in the villages, I see how bad their condition is. The previous governments have not done much for them," says Mohammad, adding that everyone in Punjab is now yearning for change.

In the present elections, 15 candidates, mostly Muslims, are contesting for the assembly segment. The population, however, feels ignored despite the area sending a representative to the state's assembly every year.

As the candidates campaign, Mohammed Ashraf, a resident, told Anadolu Agency that health facilities in the town are abysmal.

"Usually, there are no specialized doctors available. There is only one big government hospital which caters to a population of more than 130,000," he said, adding that the patients have to bigger towns if the problem is "severe."

Education is a priority

Ramzaan Sayeed, another local, said the Muslim town lacks professional colleges and good educational institutions.

"It is a matter of professional courses these days. We have to send our children to different places for a good education," he said.

It is a triangular fight, this time in Malerkotla. Usually, people have been voting either for the Shiromani Akali Dal, a Sikh-centric political party in the state, or secular centrist Congress. This time, however, the Aam Aadmi Party's presence in the constituency has added a new dimension to the contest.

Not only these day-to-day issues, but some national issues related to Muslims also find a place here.

Liyaqat Ahmad in the main town says he would not vote for the Aam Admi Party because of its indifference towards the Muslim community in the Indian capital Delhi, where it is the ruling party.

He mentions that in the worst-hit communal riots in the city in 2020, this party did not help Muslims.

In the worst-hit riots in decades, which started on the day when US President Donald Trump was in Delhi, over 50 people were killed and hundreds injured in February 2020.

"Some of my acquaintances are there, they say the government didn't do anything for them. So how could we trust them?" he asked, adding that the unemployment issue is also a major problem in the town.

As one walks towards the main market of the town, the broken roads give a tough time to the commuters.

"There are basic problems like sewerage and safe drinking water. We want the new government to look at all these issues," said Jafar Ali, a shopkeeper.

The incumbent Congress government had announced setting up a medical college and last year inaugurated a new flyover.

"As far as a medical college, there is not much progress. And the heavy traffic on the flyover had to stop because it developed some problems... such is the condition here," said Ali, adding that in the previous governments, the legislators from the segment were made ministers in the government, but there was no major developmental change in the town.

Communal harmony

Malerkotla was a Muslim princely state during the colonial era and the only place in Punjab where no communal violence took place during the Partition of British India in 1947 into two sovereign states of India and Pakistan.

That bond of communal harmony lasts even today. While over the years, it is only Muslim candidates who win from the seats, the votes also come from people of other religions.

Across the town, Sikhs are these days participating in the campaigning for the Muslim candidates who are contesting the elections.

"For us, the welfare of the people is important and not the religion of the candidate," said Karnail Singh, one of the supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party contesting candidate in Malerkotla.

Singh said that this time, the town which has maintained communal harmony for decades, is looking for a change.

"We want this to become the number one district in the state. Earlier, the local legislators became the ministers in the government, but nothing changed for people here," he said.

The roots of communal harmony in the area date back to 1705, when Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's forces were pitted against Sikh spiritual leader Guru Gobind Singh.

Historical records suggest that ruler of Malerkotla Sher Mohammed Khan had protested at the killing of Singh's sons, who were captured by the Mughal army.

In recognition of this act, Sikhs respected the Malerkotla and did not violate its integrity, even when they ruled a large swathe of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in the 19th century.

Predominantly agricultural, Malerkotla is also known as the vegetable capital of Punjab. It also supplies vegetables to other parts of the country./aa

Nearly two years after a far-right terror attack in Hanau, the victims' families are blaming German authorities for a string of catastrophic failings and saying they are living in fear due to continued threats.

On Feb.19, 2020, racist extremist Tobias Rathjen killed nine young people in the city of Hanau before killing himself and his mother in their home. All the victims had migrant backgrounds.

Cetin Gultekin, whose brother was killed in the terror attack, told Anadolu Agency that many questions are still unanswered about the failures of the authorities.

The far-right extremist had sent several letters to authorities months before the attack and did not hide his racist motivations, but they failed to act until it was too late, he said.

"We still don't understand why prosecutors did not take necessary measures, why they did not send at least two police officers to search his home, as they knew that he legally possessed two guns," he said.

The 43-year-old assailant posted videos on the internet detailing his xenophobic views and ethnic cleansing plans several days before the attack.

Investigations later revealed that he was known to police for mental health problems, at least since 2002, but still, he managed to obtain a firearms license.

Gultekin said two years after the attack, the families of victims still feel threatened, this time by the assailant's father.

"His son killed my brother, and now he's threatening to kill us," he said, adding that 74-year-old Hans-Gerd Rathjen, who's living in the same neighborhood, keeps talking about getting rid of foreigners.

"He is like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode anytime," he warned and renewed his call on authorities to take necessary measures to prevent another racist attack in the city.

Hans-Gerd Rathjen has not condemned the terror attack so far and also argued that his son was innocent. According to local media reports, the man is known to authorities as a follower of conspiracy theories and racist and xenophobic views.

Germany has witnessed growing racism in recent years fueled by far-right parties, which have exploited fears about a refugee crisis.

Authorities are facing criticism, especially from the human rights organizations, for underestimating the far-right threat and not seriously investigating crimes committed by right-wing extremists./aa

Populism is fueling Islamophobia across the world, especially in Europe, Turkiye's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking in Istanbul at an international conference on human rights violations against Muslims, Mevlut Cavusoglu said current prevailing political rhetoric in parts of Europe was serving to legitimize rising Islamophobia in these countries.

Merely opening new mosques and maintaining existing ones posed significant challenges, Cavusoglu said in a video message to the conference, co-hosted by the Turkish justice and foreign ministries, as well as the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

In the Western understanding, Cavusoglu said, competition and conflict are the main dynamics behind societal development, whereas Islamic civilization encourages harmony, respect, and solidarity.

Noting that the OIC marked March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia following the 2019 terrorist attacks that targeted a two mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, Cavusoglu called on Muslim nations to work toward a similar decision at the UN General Assembly.

He also highlighted the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and deprivation of members of Greece's Turkish minority from their most basic human rights, remarking that Muslim countries should seek solutions to these major problems.

Turkiye will also continue to keep the challenges facing Palestinians on the world agenda, he added.

In a separate video message, Turkish parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop asserted that Islamophobia has been embraced as a state policy by some countries, becoming one of the widespread forms of racism.

Obvious examples of Islamophobia can be observed in almost every sphere of daily life, including public spaces, the media, academia, and international organizations, said Sentop.

Referring to the state of the Turkish minority in Greece, Sentop said its members have faced serious problems and systematic human rights violations, calling on OIC members to respond in a robust way against Athens.​​​​​​​/aa

The United Arab Emirates-based Dragon Oil made one of the largest oil discoveries of the past 20 years in the Gulf of Suez, international media reports said, citing the Egyptian petroleum ministry.

The ministry said the field could contain reserves of around 100 million barrels.

The announcement was made during a meeting on the sidelines of the Egypt 2022 conference in Cairo on Tuesday between the CEO of Dragon Oil, Ali al-Jarwan, and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla.

Dragon Oil is a subsidiary of the UAE-headquartered Emirates National Oil Company Group (ENOC). In 2019, it purchased BP's Egyptian assets./aa

In November 2021, the Financial Times reported that China had tested its new nuclear hypersonic missile system. The testing of any missile system is not abnormal or surprising news but the surprise lay in the methods and technology. According to the report, before the hit, the test missile made two rounds of the earth in lower orbital space, making it nearly undetectable. It was also highly maneuverable and could change its path during travel. According to this report, this missile, called a hypersonic glided vehicle, was launched in lower earth orbit and, theoretically, could evade any U.S. missile defense system.

Officially, China denied the nuclear-capable hypersonic missile test and said it was a routine spacecraft check. However, many U.S. experts, including serving and retired army generals, warned the U.S. that China might be the first to deploy nuclear weapons. U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also confirmed the test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon by China. The outgoing vice chairperson of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff called it stunning and warned that China could launch a surprise nuclear attack on the U.S. in the future.

Many countries, including Russia and the U.S., are working on a hypersonic weapons system. In 2018, Russia announced that it has hypersonic nuclear weapons that can hit almost any part of the world. The U.S. is working on land, air and sea-based hypersonic weapons systems. The U.S. has conducted some successful tests after many failed attempts. In October 2021, the U.S. announced a successful trial, but in December 2021, the third test of the AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) failed. Observers and experts warned that, when it comes to developing hypersonic weapon systems, the U.S. lags 20 years behind China and Russia, who have already deployed their systems. However, the U.S. hypersonic weapons program is still in the developmental and testing phase.

Speed of sound

Hypersonic missiles are weapons that can travel more than five times the speed of sound. Speeds between Mach 1 and Mach 5 are categorized as supersonic, whereas any speed over Mach 5 falls into the hypersonic range. Sound travels 1,225 kph (699 mph), which means hypersonic missiles can travel at least more than 6,000 kph (3728 mph). It is reported that the top speed of the Russian hypersonic missile Avangard is near Mach 20.

The development of hypersonic weapons opened the debate about new weapons races, especially weapons systems in low orbit or outer space. Whether weapons can be tested in outer space is not up for debate; however, the way China launched its hypersonic glided vehicle worried experts. According to some experts, this test violates a treaty to use outer space for peaceful means. In order to respect the sanctity of peace, no weapons systems are allowed to be deployed in outer space. Deploying any weapon in outer space will create uncertainty and trigger a costly, dangerous weapons race.

China's test and the U.S. response initiated a new debate on the politics of outer space, or astropolitics.

Usually, artificial satellites fly from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geostationary orbit. The LEO is the range spanning from 100 kilometers to 1,500 kilometers from the Earth's surface. Some communication, surveillance and remote sensing satellites fly in this orbit. The International Space Station (ISS) also operates in this orbit. The distance spanning 6,000 kilometers to 20,000 kilometers from Earth's surface is called medium Earth orbit (MEO). Most telecommunication satellites move in this orbit. High Earth orbit applies to the distance up to 36,000 kilometers from Earth's surface and mostly weather satellites can be found in this orbit.

Military technology using outer space is nothing new, but only for communication, surveillance and weather observation purposes. No country has deployed any weapon in outer space until now. There is no evidence that China is trying to deploy any weapon in the LEO, so only the method of its testing is disputable.

Experts divide space weapons into three categories:

Earth to space

Space to space

Space to Earth

In another way, these weapons can be divided into kinetic and non-kinetic space weapons.

An earth-to-space kinetic weapon is also called an orbital anti-satellite weapon (ASAT). These weapons generally have a warhead or projectile that directly hits the targeted satellite or aircraft. This type of weapon hits the target in LEO and can destroy any satellite in this range. It poses a danger since in times of war, military spy satellites, some communication satellites and navigation satellites can be hit easily. The U.S., Russia, China and India have successfully tested this missile system. There is no bilateral or international treaty that bans striking satellites in war. With Earth-to-space non-kinetic weapons, jammers, lasers and cyber capabilities are included. Through jamming technology, one satellite can scramble another. Using lasers, an enemy satellite can be rendered useless. The U.S., Russia, China, Iran and North Korea already have these weapons.

The "space-to-space" kinetic weapons are the most passive system but can be used to hit any target in space during war. These weapons include co-orbital ASATs and derbies that can be crashed into a targeted satellite. In space-to-space weapons that are non-kinetic in nature, high-power microwave beams, co-orbital jammers and lasers are included. With space-to-earth weapons, a weapon can be de-orbited from a space carrier and hit a target on Earth. Though this weapon was never deployed, according to Cold War experts, the USSR weapon system known as the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS), fell in this category, despite the USSR's denials. The USSR argued that it did not fall into the defined limit of lower orbit. China's recent hypersonic test is also considered to be in this category.

Nevertheless, this missile will not be counted in this category since it was not deployed in space for a long time before hitting the target. In space-to-earth non-kinetic weapons, high-power jammers and lasers are included. With lasers, any target on land or sea can be hit.

Global competition

The continued development of hypersonic weapon systems by big powers creates panic and a new type of weapons race. Developing and poorer countries cannot compete because this technology requires big financing, advanced technological capabilities and highly skilled and trained human resources. Some developing countries, including Turkey, are also working on hypersonic technology, but their efforts are in the early stage. In December 2020, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the leading Turkish defense company Roketsan and announced trials had started on liquid-propelled rocket engine technology. He also indicated that Turkey is developing a hybrid fuel rocket engine. If these efforts are successful, Turkey can progress with hypersonic technology. However, it will take time for Turkey to create an aerospace defense force with hypersonic capabilities.

As military activities increase in Earth's lower orbit, new treaties to protect outer space from weaponization need to be debated. Space treaties came into existence in the Cold War era following continued weapons testing in outer space, prompted by the U.S. and USSR ambitions to establish a military base on the moon. To prevent any militarization of space and avoid an escalation from either side, the U.S. and USSR signed a treaty in 1967. Given the changing concepts and dimensions, space weapons need to be discussed again taking the changes into account. Only communication, navigation, remote sensing and surveillance satellites should be allowed. The presence and testing of all weapons systems should be banned in outer space.

A former Soviet soldier who came to Afghanistan 38 years ago at the age of 18 to fight in the war adopted Afghan culture after he was taken captive.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sherefovic Hakimov said that during the Afghan war, he took part in battles in the Herat region as an artilleryman and was wounded in the forehead and waist in a gunfight.

He was captured by fighters of Haji Sayyid Abdulvahab Katali, one of the mujahideen commanders of the period who fought against the Soviets.

Speaking about his friendship with Katali, Hakimov said: "He was our enemy back then. We were his enemies too. If we had caught him, we would have executed him. If we had fallen into his hands, maybe he would have executed us."

"We became friends after I converted to Islam…I became both his employee and his son. He got me married. He gave (me) a house," he said.

Doesn’t trust Russia

Hakimov still lives in the house of his friend Katali in Herat, and all his circle now know him as Sheikh Abdullah.

Hakimov said that around five years after he was taken captive, a friend of his returned to Moscow and was imprisoned after being accused of "treason by surrender," so he "does not trust" Russia and has therefore never thought of returning there.

Noting that he acquired Afghan citizenship but lost his Soviet passport, Hakimov said "delegations from Uzbekistan, the United Nations and Moscow visited me many times, but I didn’t go."

"If I go to my homeland, I will be arrested. Isn't this place better for me? I am not imprisoned here. They say, ‘Why did you surrender?’ We did not surrender. We got injured. We fell into the hands of the mujahideen."

Missing his siblings

Hakimov said his parents are not alive anymore, adding he misses his siblings Alexander and Mabuba, who live in Moscow.

He noted that his older sister Mabuba served as an adviser in the Soviet army during the invasion of Afghanistan while his brother Alexander was a deputy in Russia’s parliament, the Duma, for two terms.

Unfortunately, Hakimov did not have any family photos, and when he was shown a photo of his brother, he burst into tears.

He said the last time he spoke to his sister by phone was two years ago.

"We are human beings. It's impossible not to miss (them). Russia's policy is different. It is true, they say they forgive us. But one of us went to Russia and was arrested. He escaped from there and came back to Afghanistan. If the Russians hadn't arrested him, we'd all be gone," he added.

-Hakimov’s name on list of missing Soviet soldiers

While he was in a museum with the Anadolu Agency team for the interview, it was learned that Hakimov's name was on a list of missing Soviet soldiers.

He said a few people from this list converted to Islam like him and settled in Afghanistan, noting that he has no contact with them at the moment.

While Hakimov was showing his picture on the list, some members of the Taliban in the museum lined up to take a photo with him.

Embracing Afghan culture

Hakimov embraced Afghan culture and dresses like Afghans and speaks Persian and Pashto like Afghan people.

"I have been in Afghanistan for nearly 40 years. I'm Afghan now. I have Afghan citizenship. I am now a Muslim. I'm not Russian. I don't belong to the Russians," he said.

Expressing his love for Afghanistan and its people, Hakimov said: "I am from Afghanistan…If the Soviets (Russians) attack and occupy Afghanistan again, I will attack them with this Russian-made tank from the Soviet Union. I will attack them with their own weapons."/aa