Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of the hijab by first establishing the principle that people should have the freedom to decide what they wear. He states that in any relationship, one's responsibility towards another person ends at educating them. One can, at most, educate another person to enable them to make responsible and great choices, but one cannot dictate their actions or choices. The responsibility is to educate them so they can make good choices, but under no condition can a choice be forced upon them, unless that choice is harmful to society at large. If one is truly concerned about women, the focus should be on educating them from childhood so they can make good decisions as adults. He emphasizes that educating someone is one thing, but forcing a choice upon them is entirely different. The speaker then makes a clear distinction between the hijab and the burqa. He describes the hijab as covering the hair and neck while leaving the face open, whereas the burqa is a complete covering, a 'naqab' from head to toe, which sometimes leaves only a slit for the eyes. He posits that the burqa can be a problem, not for religious reasons, but for social ones. The primary issue with the burqa is that in a social setting, it makes it impossible to determine a person's identity. This can be problematic as any miscreant could don a burqa, rendering CCTV ineffective and handicapping the police. On the grounds of identity concealment, Acharya Prashant suggests it might be legitimate to ban the burqa in public spaces, especially when social conditions are not ideal. He believes the Muslim community itself should consider whether hiding the entire face in public is a wise idea. However, when it comes to the hijab, he asserts that governments do not have the right to dictate to adult women what to wear. The decision should be left to the woman's choice. He concludes that the job of the government and society is to educate women well and then leave them free to decide for themselves.
