By MSN NEWS - MSN NEWS
Updated: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:43:28 UTC

Thanks to Bala for the link

Kasargod: An aeronautical engineer by qualification and preparing for the civil services exam, a 23-year-old Muslim girl here refuses to wear the burqa and often sports jeans despite constant threats to her life. Rayana R. Khasi, a resident of Kasargod has handed over the threat letters she received to the police.

Rayana has the full support of her family. She has had police protection since Aug 17, thanks to a court order, after increased threats in the last two months. "Is it not my right to decide what I should wear? I studied in Chennai and now I am preparing for my civil service examinations. It is for convenience that I use jeans and I have covered everything that has to be fully covered," a peeved Rayana said.

She visited the local police station and hand over two anonymous letters saying she would be killed if she continued to defy the burqa. Trouble started after her return from Chennai around this time last year. She was in Chennai for four and a half years to complete her aeronautical engineering course and then stayed on for six more months for civil services exam coaching.
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Another good link on this sent in by nerd2world

Against the veil

The Times of India

You can decide whether you want to live or die. We, the soldiers of Islam, gave you time till now. No more forgiveness for you. It will be done before this 26th...a kafir like you doesn't deserve to be pardoned." These are the words in an anonymous letter (written in Malayalam) that Rayana R Khazi received on September 16. It is the latest in a series of death threats that she has been receiving ever since she refused to wear a burqa.

Rayana's problems began after she returned to her parent's home in Bevinja in Kasargode district, Kerala, nine months ago. She was studying aeronautical engineering in Tamil Nadu. She resisted suggestions by relatives and friends to wear the burqa. Her defiance led to threats from fundamentalists. "I was even accused of having converted and married into another religion. But I wasn't worried as I'm a true Muslim," says the feisty young woman.

The 22-year-old fails to see anything wrong in wearing churidar-salwar without a burqa. "This is my favourite dress. I ask myself every day, 'what's obscene with it?' and the answer is, 'nothing'," she says.
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TAGGED: HUMAN RIGHTS, ISLAM