photo courtesy of www.brisbanetimes.com.au.

It is official. The full veil, or niqab, is being banned. However, it is not being banned everywhere in Egypt. Last week, Head of Al-Azhar Mohammed Tantawi said that he intended to ban the wearing of the niqab in Al-Azhar University. While they are only banning the niqab inside the Azhar classrooms, this may actually be a step forward to ban the practice in Egypt all together.

I know what you are thinking. Whatever happened to religious freedom or the freedom to dress how you prefer? Well, personally, I am 100% for personal freedom and human rights. However, what I am not for is taking away a woman’s identity. Your face is one of the most important elements of your identity, and you just can’t hide that from the world. Niqab actually has nothing to do with Islam. In fact, Tantawi emphasized that niqab is not an Islamic practice, but rather an old tradition. History has it that it started as a tradition by Bedouin Arabs. A tradition that was forced upon women by the Arab men.

Covering up your face not only takes away your identity, but it also makes people skeptical of you and your actions. Some Muslims think that those who are afraid of Niqabis are stereotyping. Well, in many cases people are not only skeptical because Niqabis are Muslim, they are skeptical because behind the veil is someone hiding. I am a Muslim and I’m also skeptical of those who wear the Niqab. Why? Simply because I do not know who is behind that veil. I don’t even know that this person under the veil is really a female. Also, it’s a known fact that facial expressions are vital components of conversations between people and I can’t even read their facial expressions in order to have a proper conversation with them.

This is also one of the reasons why niqab is indeed a security issue in Egypt, as well as all over the world. In my opinion, those who wear the niqab are often seen as mysterious. You can never know who is behind that full, black veil. People in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world abuse it all the time. Some men wear it to disguise themselves as women so they can ride the women’s metro cars or buses to rub against the women.  These sexually deprived men use the niqab, which is supposed to be a “religious” symbol, to harass women in a very disgusting manner. Also, many prostitutes use the niqab to return home unseen by their neighbors or enter buildings that are guarded by security.

So, why should we as women embrace a tradition that was forced upon us since pre-Islamic times? Many women in Egypt will tell you that they wear the Niqab in order to hide from the men’s animalistic stares. But, is that what we should really do? Hide and conceal even our faces because a group of disgusting, immoral men can’t control themselves? According to an article posted in the New York Times, 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women said that they were harassed in some form in the streets of Egypt. Even veiled women were included in those statistics. As a Cairo resident, I have personally seen my veiled friends get harassed. I have also talked to many veiled women who have been harassed. In fact, many women who wear the full veil get sexual remarks from men about their ‘mysterious’ eyes. Again, we as women are letting the men in society steer us into the wrong direction. If this is the reason that some women cover their faces, then they are simply giving in to the negative pressures of society.

My word to all my fellow sisters out there is this: don’t hide your identity that God gave you. Show your face and let your voice be heard. If you believe that dressing modestly is what you should do, then cover your hair or your body as you wish. But, don’t let anyone take away your identity, and certainly don’t take it away yourself.