CAIRO: Bahia Mohamed Ahmed is the first woman who wears the niqab, the full veil and face covering worn by some Muslim women, to submit her nomination for parliament. Ahmed intends to run as an independent for the People's Assembly in Cairo. Ahmed told Youm7 that she decided to run for parliamentary elections even though she is a housewife. She said the Islamic niqab does not pose an obstacle to women running for parliament, and said the High Electoral Committee confirmed there is no problem for women who wear the niqab to run for election. Her husband, who works in private sector company, does not object her nomination, she continued. Ahmed said she is not afraid of competing against the male candidates because there is no difference between women and men. She said, but the difference settles in hardworking; in addition, she does not have money like the former regime's figures, she noted. She is running to represent the residents of Rawd el-Farag neighborhood in Cairo.
