No Niqab During Exams In Egypt: Court Upholds Government Ban

Egypt wasn't asking much of niqab-loving women when they banned last October the use of the full face veil during university exams. This wasn't some abritrary decision in order to violate the religious rights of women, it was implemented because there are far too many ways to cheat whilst wearing the niqab. Obviously there were enough cases to warrant that decision, but there was such an outcry from these women that it was appealed. But today, however, the court upheld the ban and once again female students are up in arms.

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"We had never hoped to see such a verdict issued by our fair Egyptian judicial system. Our rights are being raped. What freedom would we have after this? Where is freedom in Egypt?," one student told Al Jazeera after Sunday's verdict.

Their rights are being raped? Please. An even more offensive statement was made by the women's lawyer, Nizar Ghorab, who claimed that banning the niqab:

"supports rape and sexual harassment".

"It forces a woman to expose part of her body she doesn't want exposed. It is soul-crushing for these women," he told Al Jazeera.

Rape and sexual harrassment? During exams? If these women are afraid that they will be sexually harrassed or raped if they expose their faces for a few hours during exams these are deeply troubled women, who would probably do best seeking therapy. Or incredibly unattractive women who would rather remain hidden, and would probably never be the target of sexual harrassment in the first place. Or cheaters who have probably had smarter people take their exams for them. Here's a reality check for these young women: no-one pays attention to anyone else when they are taking exams!

But there were the usual threats from people who feel their rights have been violated, whether they have been or not.

"I swear, I will sue every person who prevents me from sitting my exams. I will never take off my niqab."

"We will hold on to our right and we will go to a higher court. They claim we are the ones who are backward, then they turn around and ban us from our education," a student told Al Jazeera.

According to the Al Jazeera article, the ban eventually could be overuled since Egypt allows endless appeals.

In the video below, students were actually so upset they were crying:

"I will go to my exams anyway, and if they prevent me from entering and expel me, I swear by God, I will never forgive this," another student said.

"I swear, I will sue every person who prevents me from sitting my exams. I will never take off my niqab. Never."

Crying over such an insignificant issue is almost obscene. Where are the tears for far more important situations, like all the innocent people murdered as a result of terrorist acts?

The female students did prevail when the ban on niqabs in dorms of public universities, was revoked, although I'm not sure what the rationale behind the ban was, in the case of dormitories.

The people in Egypt, which has always been a more moderate Islamic country, have become progressively more conservative over the years. This seems to be happening in many other Middle Eastern countries, as well.

The number of women wearing various grades of hair- and face covers have increased in Egypt in recent years, and so has the controversy around the garb.

The irony is that wearing the niqab is not something that most Islamic Scholars have decreed. It seems the women are taking it upon themselves to wear the full face veil, in spite of the fact that it is not mandatory per religious law. I can respect a woman's decision to dress modestly, but the choice to wear a niqab or burqa is beyond my comprehension.

Perhaps these women should apply to universities in Saudi Arabia where they embrace this kind of dress code.