Egypt's Lurch Toward Fundamentalism -Samer al-Atrush
Most Muslim women in Egypt wear the hijab, which covers the hair, but the niqab [pictured], which covers the entire face, is becoming
more popular on the streets of Cairo, a trend that worries the government as it battles a lurch toward fundamentalism.
Mohammed Tantawi, head of the Islamic Al-Azhar University and the country's top religious authority, said he intends to ban the niqab at the university.
The Ministry of Religious Endowments has distributed booklets explaining that wearing a niqab is un-Islamic. The majority of mainstream Muslim scholars say the niqab is unnecessary. It is commonly associated with followers of Salafism, an ultra-conservative school of thought mostly practiced in Saudi Arabia.
(AFP)
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Most Muslim women in Egypt wear the hijab, which covers the hair, but the niqab [pictured], which covers the entire face, is becoming
more popular on the streets of Cairo, a trend that worries the government as it battles a lurch toward fundamentalism.Mohammed Tantawi, head of the Islamic Al-Azhar University and the country's top religious authority, said he intends to ban the niqab at the university.
The Ministry of Religious Endowments has distributed booklets explaining that wearing a niqab is un-Islamic. The majority of mainstream Muslim scholars say the niqab is unnecessary. It is commonly associated with followers of Salafism, an ultra-conservative school of thought mostly practiced in Saudi Arabia.
(AFP)
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