Egyptian MP supports ban of niqab, describing it as ‘Jewish practice’

Egyptian MP and Al-Azhar professor of Islamic philosophy Amina Nasir has said she would support a ban on the face veil as it is a Jewish tradition adopted by Arab tribes before Islam, Al-Watan reported.

Nasir expressed similar sentiments earlier this year when she said the full face veil is not a requirement in Islam and that the Qur’an calls for modesty and to cover the hair but not the face.

In March the Egyptian parliament drafted a law to ban the niqab from public places and government institutions – five months earlier Cairo University banned lecturers from wearing the niqab, which they said led to “poor communication” during lectures.

Cairo University also banned nurses and doctors wearing the full face veil in medical schools and teaching hospitals to “protect patients’ rights and interests”.

During the October election women were required to remove their niqabs to vote.

Nasir has said that the main reason for supporting the bill is to preserve security, drawing attention to incidents where men have donned the niqab to commit crimes and attend protests.