CAIRO: Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi's decision to ban the niqab at the Islamic insititute's schools and institutes, as well as the decision taken by Minister of Higher Education Hani Helal to ban students who wear the niqab from living in the university dorms, took the Egyptian Press by storm over the past two weeks. A number of articles addressed the issue and went beyond the immediate decision and discussed the battle between Salafis – extreme conservative Islamists – and moderates and the differing viewpoints over the full-body veil within Islamic law, or sharia. Khaled Salah, Editor-in-chief of al-Youm al-Saba'a wrote in his leading article that the ban took the form of a “crime against the honor of civil society, a crime that could only be committed by fools and irrational decision makers, a crime that can't be committed by respectable institutions.” He described the new ban as “vague and ill – conceived.” He argued that “most opposed to veil, but would not agree to such humiliation suffered by the students and their families in university dorms.” Salah added that “I don’t want to believe that the Egyptian educational system became a tool for oppression … their only crime is that they thought the niqab stems from Islamic laws and that it is the origin of virtue. No one from al-Azhar or other religious institutions engaged in a dialogue with those who wear the niqab and they did not guide and convince them that the niqab is not related to Islam.” He criticized the educational institution, saying “dialogue was absent from these educational institutions, and instead these institutions worked as gatekeepers following police orders. The result is that the state dealt with the students wearing the niqab in a very cruel manner and without guiding them to a clear vision based on true religion. Universities have dealt with them with oppression, without turning to the reasons and circumstances that led them to wear this black curtain that hides them from the eyes of people and society.” He argued that these students have been victimized “when al-Azhar didn’t realize that they are victims of the lack of the fundamental role of al-Azhar in guiding them, and that they are victims of the ignorance that is widely spread in the religious TV channels … the spread of extremist scholars in private satellite channels, who promote their Salafi ideas all day long and this led the poor girls believing the niqab is a condition of Islam, while al-Azhar is totally asleep without awareness and not taking any action to influence the minds of these girls with moderation.” Farida al-Shobashy, a prominent Egyptian leftist writer, wrote in her column in Al-Masry Al-Youm, under the title “Niqab's immunity” that the statements by Islamic propagandist Dr. Safwat Hegazi were erring. She points to when he called on women who wear the veil not to pay attention to the opinion opposing the niqab and encouraged these women “not to comply with the ban and uncover her face.” Shobashy asked “how can a sheikh call uncovered women a ‘whore'. Is this the language of an Islamic preacher? How can they think that their views can be imposed by the sheikh of al-Azhar or the Grand Mufti? If veiled woman have the right to wear the niqab, so do I have the right to know the identity of the person beside me, whether at work, or the street or anywhere, and no one is entitled to deprive me of this right,” she argued. She continued sarcastically, “according to this sheikh, Cleopatra or Nefertiti and Hatshepsut were ‘whores' just because they did not wear the veil and why do they have to summarize the principles of Islam in only one word?” Alaa al-Aswany, a prominent liberal writer and novelist, wrote in his al-Shorouk column, “how would we overcome the temptation of women?” He began his article by asking “if someone went to work one day and found that all of their workmates were fully covered and hiding their eyes, how would a man feel in such situation?” He added that “you wouldn’t be comfortable and if this situation lasted, you would probably feel disturbed, because human beings always need to see the faces of the people they are talking to.” Aswany added that “human contact is not complete without the vision of the face. Thus, the nature of man since the beginning of creation, but those who impose the niqab on women, they don’t believe in such a fact.” Ibrahim Eissa, Editor-in-chief of the independent daily al-Dustour, criticized the failure of the government in handling the issue, asking, “did the government think that when they order a girl to take off her niqab or bar their entry to dorms that these girls would comply with these instructions and easily take it off? Did they think that such a stupid ban would fight against the spread of the phenomenon? He added that the “stupid” decision of the Egyptian government is a call for extremism and militancy, “a decision undermines the principle of personal freedom, because this freedom also includes the right to wear the veil. The real liberal is the one who defends their right to wear the veil or take it off if they want to.” Prominent Egyptian female religious leader Soad Saleh argued differently. She announced her support of Tantawi's decision, saying that the niqab is “not from the Islamic Sharia law,” arguing that the niqab “has social consequences, such as isolation and it reflects a negative view of non-veiled, which does not derive from religion.” On the other hand, Minister of Family and Population told local newspapers that the issue of the niqab is a “national security issue and an idea promoted by some people within Egyptian society,” stressing that if the ministry had received complaints of veiled women from being subjected to discrimination against them, the response of the ministry would be for them to “follow the rules of the place.” The ministry added that the issue of the niqab would only be solved “through dialogue and guidance of girls and women to a moderate way of thinking, and trying to convince them that the niqab is against their interests.” The ministry also stressed that it “can't be solved through an administrative law, especially that if the government tried to talk about the niqab, it would be responded to by stubbornness from girls, according to the principle ‘forbidden is desirable.' In the end, the ministry has supported the decision by Tantawi to ban the veil, despite the growing discussion taking place across Egypt, in its press and on the street. BM
