Campaign to Ban Islamic Veil at Public Institutions in Egypt Picks Up Steam

Cairo (CNSNews.com) – A newly-launched campaign to ban the Islamic veil in public institutions in Egypt has received a boost with the drafting in parliament of a law on the matter for discussion.

The campaign, which seeks a ban on the full face veil, or niqab, at schools, universities, hospitals and government departments, has drawn sharp criticism from some clerics, who argue that wearing the veil shows high moral standards and that banning it would violate personal freedom.

Others counter that the campaign is not attacking Islam, contending that wearing the niqab is not an Islamic obligation.

The niqab covers a women’s entire face except for the eyes. It’s not common in Egypt but has been here for centuries.

Amna Nossier, professor of comparative jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University said earlier this month Al-Azhar fully supports the ban because wearing the niqab was never a requirement of Islam. She claimed wearing the veil was in fact a Jewish tradition that appeared in the Arabian peninsula long before Islam, and that the Qur’an does not call for its use.

More