Egypt Lawmakers want face covering niqab banned

A group of Egyptian lawmakers is set to introduce a bill in parliament to ban women from wearing the face-covering niqab in public.

The ban, which would also apply to state institutions, is being endorsed by the Egypt Support Coalition, which claims to have 250 members in the legislature, Gulf News reported on March 7.


The niqab, a symbol of rising Islamic conservatism to some, has been a source of tension for years. Authorities ruled that American University’s satellite campus in Cairo could not ban women from wearing the veil in 2007. But in 2009, Egypt’s oldest university, al-Azhar, banned women from wearing the niqab in classrooms and dormitories. Other universities prohibited women from wearing the veil during exams on the grounds that it could facilitate cheating.

A recent ban on the niqab at Cairo University was expanded this month to include female staff at the school’s teaching hospitals and medical departments. In October, university officials said female teachers were not allowed to wear the veil while lecturing. Upscale venues in Cairo have barred women wearing the niqab from entering on security grounds, claiming that it obscures one’s identity.

The ban, which would apply to state institutions and public places, is being endorsed by the Egypt Support Coalition, which claims to have 250 members in the legislature. There is no clear date for when a bill might come forward in Parliament.