Egypt’s High Administrative Court upheld on Monday Cairo University’s decision to ban its professors from wearing the niqab, or face veil, ending a controversy that began five years ago over whether or not banning the niqab in public spaces violates personal freedoms or constitutes religious discrimination. The university justified the decision to ban the face veil by arguing that niqab negatively impacts the ability of women who wear it to communicate. “It is not allowed for academic staff at any of the university faculties to teach theoretical and practical lessons or attend a laboratory or practical training while wearing niqab,” reads the Cairo university statement released in 2015. The court further explained that the allowance of the niqab violates article 96 of the law regulating universities across Egypt, which binds university staff to university rules. France, where public displays of religiosity are often a point of controversy, banned the face veil in 2010, citing security concerns.

Source: Egypt Independent January 27, 2020 12:00 UTC