CAIRO: The full veil, or niqab, crisis in Egypt and the debate over the phenomenon continues as law experts, media and human rights activists and religious leaders met at a symposium organized by the One World Association in Cairo, where they addressed the niqab issue and Al-Azhar's decision to ban the attire at Egyptian universities. The leaders also looked into and debated the reasons behind the niqab's continued spread throughout Egyptian society. Yehia el-Gamal, a law professor and Constitutional Expert, denounced the deterioration of Egyptian society, especially in terms of dialogue and debate, pointing out that “Egyptian society suffers from schizophrenia in regards to the question of the veil, which contrasts with the behavior of most of the girls who wear it.” Gamal called for “modesty” and for women not to don the higab, covering of the hair, or the niqab, stressing that Islamic jurisprudence does not refer to the veil in any manner. He cited Sheikh Mohamed al-Ghazali, who has never been a proponent of higab, or veil, but only called for “modesty” when women dress. Soad Saleh, a prominent Egyptian female religious leader and Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, said during the symposium that “the crisis of niqab niqab between Egypt and the world” is in need of purifying “the books of the Sunnah of the Prophet [sayings and deeds] and legislation from the weak Hadith [sayings], which are inconsistent with the essence of the Qu'ran.” She stressed that the niqab is a “habit” and not a “fard,” or obligation, citing many of the Prophet's statements and situations that women faced in the era of the Prophet when they were uncovered. Saleh added that the era of Prophet Mohamed was the era of “the emancipation of women and that the wrong treatment of women afterward is a matter that led to this deteriorated status that women suffer from.” The religious scholar attributed the crises faced by women, such as the current debate over the niqab, to the outlook of society towards women, “as they consider women something to be ashamed of.” She added that the niqab is just an attack on personal freedom. Hafez Abu Saeda, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), questioned “who applies the law in the issue of the niqab?” He wondered how women who wear the niqab would work as a doctor. “How can a patient deal with an invisible doctor? And what if she made a mistake, nobody can hold her responsible? How would a veiled woman work in a school and how would she reach out to students?” he questioned. Abu Saeda criticized raising the issue at a time when society addresses the issue of increasing the number of seats allocated for women in the Parliament. Negab al-Borai, a lawyer and a human rights activist, attributed the crisis to the defeat of Egyptian culture and its submission to the radical Bedouin desert ideologies. “One of the factors of this crisis is the absence of distinguished public figures, who are well-respected by the community, in addition to the frustrations of political and economic challenges facing young people, which distracts them and makes them turn to superficial religious issues and tends to lead to extremism,” he said. **reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salam BM
