Egypt court upholds niqab ban
Aside from the sad news itself, this is a rather horribly written article on Islam. Are they just banning the niqab and hijab across different places to show their deep-rooted hatred for Allah’s religion? What’s with the “Salafis” are “terrorists” and “view Al-Azhar with contempt?”
Allah’s religion will always shine through in the end, but we have to do our part so Allah grants us victory! If you have any ideas on how to support the niqab, leave a comment below…
Egypt court upholds niqab ban(AFP) – Jan. 3rd, 2010
CAIRO — An Egyptian court on Sunday upheld a ruling by the education ministry to ban women from wearing the full face veil in university examination halls, judicial sources said.
The ministry took the decision in October to ban the niqab, a veil covering the entire face usually worn by devout Muslims, for security reasons.
The administrative court’s decision, which may be appealed, came after more than 50 students filed a petition against the ban.
The row over the niqab has intensified in recent months after Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s main seat of learning, banned the niqab in all residences and schools affiliated to Al-Azhar.
The only exception made is in classrooms where the teacher is male.
The ministry of health has tried to ban it among nurses and the ministry of religious endowments distributed booklets saying the practice of wearing the niqab has no basis in Islam.
Most Muslim women in Egypt cover their hair, but the full face veil is associated with the ultra-conservative Salafi school of thought, which is based mostly in Saudi Arabia, and is gaining popularity in the country.
Salafism has inspired such militants as Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his Egyptian deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri. Most of its practitioners, however, shun politics.
The niqab trend has worried Al-Azhar, whose theology Salafis generally view with contempt.
Article by the AFP, via Google.
I don’t think I could ever understand the banning of hijab or niqab. But from Egypt? La howla wa la quwwata illa billah.
As someone who currently lives in Egypt, I don’t see the government ever totally banning niqaab. Way too many women wear it here and it seems that people outside of Egypt are more angry about it than those who are here.
Allahul Musta’aan.
Amatullah, you’re probably right – if the government actually attempted a total ban on niqab, things would get very ugly.
Even this ban is somewhat ridiculous, as far as Al-Azhar goes, since it stipulates, “[The] niqab [has been banned] in all residences and schools affiliated to Al-Azhar. The only exception made is in classrooms where the teacher is male.” The only time there’s a need to wear niqab is in situations where a male is present! If I understood correctly, this “exception” was made to save face, after the original ban caused so much chaos.
The biggest problem, perhaps, is the precedence this sets for other countries and institutions, the permission it gives them to do the same. A niqab ban in the East is certainly a good reason for a niqab ban in the West. “See, even Egypt has banned niqab for security reasons.” La hawla wa la quwatta illa billah.
I’m not sure if it’s true or not but I heard that some females in schools in Egypt were posing as others using the niqab in order to cheat on tests.
I also heard that there has been increasing violence/aggression toward women not donning the niqab from youths/men and pressure toward them to put it on.
While I agree that the freedom to choose what you want to wear based on your own religious understanding is ideal, is it worth risking the safety of the women (niqaabis/non-niqaabis) in situations such as these?
signs, interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing them.
If people are using niqab to cheat in colleges and schools in Egypt, it’s only because cheating in general is a problem. (Ask anyone who goes to school in Egypt, I’m sure they can tell you stories.) Plus, sisters in niqab should have no problems being identified by another female, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
The thing really at stake here though is the deen of Allah. When the scholars spoke about niqab, it was always between one of two rulings: either that niqab was fard (obligatory), or that it was mustahhab (recommended). Where does a Muslim country (say “Muslim” if you wish) give itself the right to ban something of so much value within the deen of Allah? How is ok to ban something which, at the very least, is mustahhab?
Doesn’t any excuse the people make (that it’s for security reasons, etc.) imply, wal ‘iyaathu billah, that Allah didn’t know what He was doing when He sent down this ruling? Maybe He made it fard or mustahhab, but as people, we know better? Isn’t that what banning niqab effectively says?
Also, even for the scholars who said niqab was recommended, these same scholars agreed that in situations of fitnah (e.g. if a woman lived in a society that did not lower its gaze) that covering the face in these situations became fard on her. So it seems like increasing violence/aggression towards women would be a good reason to start wearing niqab, wouldn’t it? (Without excusing, for a moment, the youth and men for what they’re doing.)
Wa Allahu a’lam.
Well at least they didn’t banned it all the way… If you’re in the exam room and it’s all women.. .then the lifting the veil is fine. OR they can wear a boushiyyah as it’s not the Niqab nor Burqa but a material covering the face lightly… Sister need to start thinking outside the box…. And the men in Egypt have no manners… they fresh, rude and don’t care about lowering their gaze.. so wearing the niqab is almost a must there… just so a sister can be herself…
I think it might help if you compare the nuns religous dress to ours and ask why they don't have a ban ? the dress is very much alike. that'a all I have for now but I will post if I think of something , and yes we do have to fight for our rights all over the world .