Egypt Proposes Bill To Ban Niqab In Public Places

A member of the Egyptian parliament has proposed a bill to prohibit Niqab – full-face veils – in public places, local media sources reports.

Ghada Agami, the deputy chairman of the Egyptian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, has submitted a draft law to the country’s House of Representatives, prohibiting the wearing of the full-face veil in public places, referring to what she said: “has become a source of sedition in Egyptian society in recent years.”

The bill, which was reported to have received huge support from various state-owned media, suggested an EGP1,000 ($55.81) fine for any women who wear Niqab in public places. The bill also stipulated that the punishment should be doubled in case of the violation repetition.

Agami told state-owned Ahram Online that the bill came as a result of “the increasing number of terrorist attacks carried out by individuals under the Niqab covered.”

“It [the bill] aims to change the moderate character of Islam in Egypt and reflects the extremist ideology of Salafist conservatives’ movements,” the Egyptian parliamentarian explained, noting to a recent law by the Algerian government, which banned women from wearing the full-face veils in workplaces.