Curb on Veil in Egypt Backed by Islamic Clerics -Dina Zayed
Egypt's three most prominent religious leaders have backed a government ban on the niqab, or full face veil, in dormitories and examinations, saying it had no basis in Islam.
"Al-Azhar is not against the niqab but against its misuse," the government-run al-Akhbar newspaper cited Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the head of al-Azhar University, as saying.
He said it was a social habit that had no roots in sharia (Islamic law). More than 13 religious scholars have found that the face veil has no substantial roots in Islam, but rather can be considered a "form of extremism," the official MENA news agency cited Tantawi as saying.
(Reuters)
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Capturing the MidEast in short soundbites: poignant reflections by people who understand the complexities of the Middle East. My philosophy is: "less is more." You won't agree with everything that's here, but I'm confident you will find it interesting! Excepting the titles, my own comments are minimal. Instead I rely on news sources to string together what I hope is an interesting, politically challenging, non-partisan, non-ideological narrative.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
On covering women: 'social habit, not Islam'
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