Cairo, Jan 27, 2020 – A top Egyptian court has ruled in favour of banning female academic staff at Cairo University from wearing the Muslim face veil, known as the niqab, lawyer Ahmed Mahran said Monday. The ban on the niqab, which covers the entire face except for the eyes, has often sparked fierce debate on religious freedoms. “The ruling is final and not subject to appeal,” said Mahran, whorepresented 80 women in challenging the 2016 ruling. The ban was introduced in 2015 by a previous head of Cairo University, two years after the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Cairo University is one of Egypt’s oldest higher education institutions.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 27, 2020 14:37 UTC