‘It’s Against Islamic Ethos’: Students Force Jamia Millia University To Cancel Fashion Show On Campus

The engineering department of Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University on Saturday cancelled a fashion show after protests erupted in the campus led by a 12-strong student group under the banner of 'Students of Jamia.'

The protesting group claimed that such activities were against Islamic ethics and cultural ethos of Jamia. Arshad Warsi, a member of Students of Jamia, said they initially called the organisers to tell them the event was “against Islamic ethos,” but when there was no response, they went to the venue and took charge, reports Indian Express.

Sadaf Fatima, an organiser, said the protest was carried out by “outsiders” and the show was cancelled due to time constraints. But Syed Mohammad Mehdi Rizvi, another organiser, said in a Facebook post, “It was not a peaceful gathering as we were being threatened by these people …,” and that the show was cancelled as it became “a security issue.”

The event was a part of Faculty of Engineering’s three-day annual festival, Xtacy. The organisers had the permission and support of both the Faculty of Engineering and the university administration to host these events.

The fashion show, called Tarz-e-Libas, was scheduled for 5 pm on Saturday. Fearing that it would create a security problem, the festival organisers relented.