The Education Ministry Bans the Niqab

Al Ahram, Egypt, September 13

The debate over the Education Ministry’s decision to ban the niqab in schools continues, despite the ministry’s recent decision to exclude female teachers from the law. Most recently, ministry officials softened their rhetoric and explained that the new ban would apply only to students, not to teaching staff. Furthermore, it has been made clear that wearing the veil, like a hijab, is still permissible as long as it serves as a hair covering and does not obscure the face. Opponents of the decision, some of whom have prominent roles in religious establishments, have vehemently criticized those responsible for the ruling as well as its supporters. Such censure often involves charges of religious ineptitude, lack of expertise, and meddling in matters beyond their understanding. At times, these critiques extend to an alleged enmity toward religion and an adherence to external forces antithetical to Islam. In 2009, some of these voices attacked His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, the imam of Al Azhar Mosque, for his support of the decision to ban the niqab in schools. His Eminence had declared that the niqab has no relation to Islam, yet these objectors deemed his ruling “inappropriate.” They even went as far as to accuse advocates of the niqab ban of allying with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had declared war on the niqab in France. Officials at the Education Ministry have stated that their decision to ban the niqab stems from a ministerial directive issued in 1995, citing the need for effective educational communication between students and their teachers, complemented by clear visibility of facial expressions. Thus, wearing the niqab has been prohibited for some time. The ministry was ultimately compelled to abide by the court ruling to prohibit the niqab after the Supreme Constitutional Court upheld it. The ministry released new guidelines for school uniforms, which effectively banned the niqab. During a meeting with journalist Youssef Al-Husseini last Monday evening, Dr. Ahmed Karima, professor of comparative jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, asserted that the Education Ministry’s resolution preventing and forbidding the niqab in schools is a correct one. He went on to say that wearing niqab is not an obligatory practice in Islam and can be seen as a personal choice, and he expressed his support for the ministry’s decision. —Ahmed Abdel-Tawwab (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)