Srinagar, Oct. 4 -- The controversy at a hospital in Doda, where Muslim nursing students were reportedly prevented from wearing the burqa or abaya inside a restricted clinical area, has triggered an important public debate. The hospital administration has maintained that the issue relates to hygiene and clinical protocols, while a committee has reportedly been constituted to examine the matter.It is important, therefore, not to prejudge the findings of the inquiry or attribute motives to anyone before the facts are established.But the controversy does raise a legitimate question: if hygiene is the reason, are hygiene standards being applied consistently to everyone?First, there is a need to distinguish the two garments being discussed. A ...