Egypt bans women from wearing full-face veils in schools
Education Minister Reda Hegazy said while schoolgirls can wear hijab in school, they should not cover their faces
CAIRO, Egypt – The Egyptian government has banned the wearing of the niqab, a full-face veil, in both public and private schools.
The ban will take effect from the coming school year, which begins on September 30.
The decision has met with strong opposition from various Muslim groups in Egypt.
Education Minister Reda Hegazy recently clarified in a statement that while schoolgirls can wear the hijab to school, they should not cover their faces.
A source from the Ministry of Education told The New Arab that this decision is aimed at preventing fraud, identity theft and other crimes.
The source stressed that it is difficult to identify female students with their faces covered, which in the past has led to problems such as impersonation during exams.
The dress code for Egyptian women has been a controversial issue in recent years.
In 2020, a court declared the niqab inappropriate for academic staff at Cairo University.
A BBC Arabic study revealed that women who wear the hijab are discriminated against in Egypt.
Some institutions in Cairo denied entry to these women, and some of them were even barred from purchasing property in upscale resorts.
Social pressures related to the hijab are great, especially among the middle and lower classes.
The debate over whether the hijab is an obligatory Islamic practice continues. Some women feel pressured to wear it, while others choose to do so out of personal conviction.
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