Report Says Egypt Court Upholds Ban of Niqab In University Exam Rooms

Reuters and UAE's The National report that yesterday an administrative court in Cairo, Egypt upheld the decision by higher education minister Hany Helal and heads of three universities to bar women from wearing the niqab (full face veil) while taking university exams. The government said that the ban was imposed in part because students (male and female) were taking exams disguised as others by wearing the face veil. Some three weeks ago, ANSAmed reported that a Cairo administrative tribunal had invalidated the ban on the niqab in exam rooms and university areas. (See prior posting.) It is not clear what the relationship is between the two decisions.