Never asked student to remove veil or leave class: DU teacher Tasneem

Tasneem Siraj Mahboob, an associate professor in Dhaka University’s English Department, has said her remarks about a female student’s face covering were misrepresented and taken out of context, after she was relieved of teaching duties over allegations of making inappropriate comments about the student’s clothing.

Tasneem also urged the university authorities to provide a full explanation of the allegations against her.

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In a statement to the media, she said the incident took place during a master’s final-semester class on October 7, when a student was sitting near the classroom door with two other female students, with her entire face, including her eyes, covered.

Tasneem said she could not immediately identify the student because her eyes were not visible. She added that the absence of eye contact made it difficult for her to understand how the student was responding to her remarks and participating in classroom activities.

She said she felt uncomfortable teaching under those circumstances, as communication with students and maintaining a comfortable classroom environment were important to her, and that she raised the issue for that reason.

She said the student left the classroom after Tasneem told her that she felt uncomfortable because she could not see her eyes.

Tasneem said there had been no argument between them, although she later exchanged views with another student who spoke on behalf of the first student.

When the other student raised the issue of freedom of clothing choice, Tasneem said she explained the need for teachers to be able to identify students and maintain a comfortable teaching environment.

She denied forcing the student to answer any question or instructing her to change her clothes, remove her veil or leave the classroom.

Tasneem also said she had neither punished the student for wearing religious clothing nor barred her from attending future classes.

She stressed that her comments concerned the covering of the eyes, not the hijab, burqa or purdah.

Tasneem said her remarks had been misrepresented and that their context and intent had not been accurately conveyed.

Meanwhile, the University Teachers’ Network has described her as a victim of “political propaganda, misinformation and academic subjugation” and demanded a full investigation into the incident, along with an opportunity for her to defend herself.

“We believe that she [Tasneem] has become a target of a specific hate group and that the political propaganda, misinformation and efforts to undermine academic freedom are intended to put her in danger and force her to bow to that group,” the network said in a press release today.

The network said the decision to relieve Tasneem of her teaching duties was contrary to university rules.

It also called for clear university policies defining the rights and responsibilities of teachers and students regarding face coverings during identity verification.

The network further demanded punitive action against those who recorded teachers’ remarks without permission and circulated them online selectively or out of context in ways it said spread misinformation.

At the same time, the network said it opposed any classroom behaviour or remarks that could cause students physical or psychological distress or make them feel humiliated, adding that this principle might have been breached in the present case.

However, it alleged that the incident had subsequently been used for political purposes in the public sphere, with religion being used as a tool.

“Those demanding her expulsion from the university while spreading false information should themselves face punishment under existing laws,” the network said.

It further claimed that an extremist group had emerged in the aftermath of the 2024 mass uprising and had been harassing liberal-minded teachers and citizens in various ways.