Egypt cleric 'to ban full veils'

You —

Egypt's highest Muslim authority has said he will issue a religious edict against the growing trend for full women's veils, known as the niqab.


Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, dean of al-Azhar university, called full-face veiling a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.


Although most Muslim women in Egypt wear the Islamic headscarf, increasing numbers are adopting the niqab as well.


Th


e practice is widely associated with more radical trends of Islam.


The niqab question reportedly arose when Sheikh Tantawi was visiting a girls' school in Cairo at the weekend and asked one of the students to remove her niqab.


The Egyptian newspaper al-Masri al-Yom quoted him expressing surprise at the girl's attire and telling her it was merely a tradition, with no connection to religion or the Koran.


From BBC News


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Hajjar — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 - 10:05

it's a sign of the times, i remember this hadith about ppl who are comparable to dajjal these ppl are prominent scholars who will lead the ppl astray. So what if someone is a scholar, yes you should give them the respect they deserve but equally you should try not to follow someone blindly. We live in an age where information is easily accessible. If someone tells you xyz about islam and something sounds amiss research it, double check it. this is a prime example we have a scholar in a prominent position saying niqab has nothing to do with Islam, some sisters may respect him and think oh he's a scholar he must be correct.


It's pretty disgusting that we can live in societies even muslim ones where muslims themselves see women as sexual commodities, that they have a monopoly on. We are forever told to remove our clothes, we are not sexy enough, we are too conservative, we are too orthodox, we must be ugly. All too often these comments come from men and are then chanted by weak women. Men are largely behind modeling industries, men are behind film industries, men are behind the pornographic industry that has a huge say on the film industry itself. Yet again we have a man, a man of knowledge telling our sisters niqab has nothing to do with Islam remove it, liberate yourself. It's so sad, i don't know what else to say.


this scholar make set a trend for the western governments to follow. they may think look we have leeway here to ban the niqab, a way to legitimize the ban.


1R4M — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 - 13:18

Both extremes are bad

Forcing women to wear a veil

and then another country says u CANNOT wear one

it's ridiculous

women cannot win either way

we're damned if we cover up

and damned if we don't


You — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 02:17

Al-Azhar Bans Niqab in Girls Classes, Residence


CAIRO – Al-Azhar, the highest seat of religious learning in the Sunni world, decided on Thursday, October 8, to ban niqab in all its affiliate girls-only schools, educational institutes and dormitories.


"The Supreme Council of Al-Azhar has decided to ban students and teachers from wearing the niqab inside female-only classrooms," said Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi.


Reading out from a written statement, he said niqab would not be allowed in schools where both the students and teachers are females.


Tantawi added that the same rules would apply in university dormitories where the residents and the supervisors are also all females.


During a visit to a school earlier this week, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayyed Tantawi ordered a school girl to remove her niqab, telling her the face-veil is “a tradition and has nothing to do with Islam.”


The Muslim-majority country’s top religious authority also vowed to ban the niqab all schools linked to Al-Azhar.


...


The Supreme Council asserted that Al-Azhar does not oppose the niqab in the homes, streets or the work place.


But Tantawi asserted that they are against over exaggerations.


“Women cover their faces so as not to be seen by stranger men. But it makes no sense to use niqab in a women-only environment,” he contended.


“Insistence on covering the face in the presence of women only is a form of extremism which Islam opposes.”


Tantawi told the state television Tuesday that although he considers the niqab as a tradition, he does not oppose it and deals normally with women who cover their faces.


Read more @ Islam Online


You — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 02:20

So... in essence... what he is saying is that women wearing niqab in women only gatherings is overkill in his opinion, he considers that to be only cultural and he is against it.


What are people's opinions on this matter now? Any different from before?


MuslimSister — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 - 15:44

[quote=Ya'qub][quote=MuslimSister]Egypt is a more secular than I thought it would be. Most girls wear Hijaab, but they mostly skinny jeans and tight top/hijabi. Some are scantily clad.


Intrestingly enough, my husband has had more abuse hurled at him for having a beard than he ever got on the tubes in London! [/quote]


I think it differs around the country, some areas are REALLY 'traditional' and other REALLY 'westernised'.


.[/quote]


We live in the westernised area, but we study/go out in the poor more 'traditional' areas. - only cos the westernised areas are more westernised than the UK.


The trend is the same, only the othr day my husbands teacher was arrested and questioned for 9 days only cos he had a beard. Quite a few ex pats get arrested and released over this....my husbands only saving grace is his red passport.