Egypt’s top cleric bans face veil in some schools

08 October 2009, 12:12 pm

Egypt’s top Islamic cleric has barred students from wearing face veils in classrooms and dormitories of Sunni Islam’s premier institute of learning, Al-Azhar. The decision announced Thursday by Sheik of al-Azhar Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi appears to be part of a government campaign to crack down on overt manifestations of ultraconservative Islam in Egypt.



While a vast majority of Egyptian women wear headscarves, few wear the niqab, a veil which covers the face. The niqab is common in Saudi Arabia, which practices the more conservative form of Wahhabi Islam, and the trend seems to be gaining ground in Egypt.

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