'Bullying incident' by invigilators against dress-wearing student referred to prosecution

CAIRO – 26 June 2021: President of Tanta University has referred a bullying incident against a student to the prosecution after the issue has gone viral since Tuesday.

Mahmoud Zaky of Tanta University made the decision on Saturday, apart from an internal investigation into invigilators who verbally harassed the student for wearing a dress.

Spokesperson of the university, Walid al-Ashry, said on Saturday that the investigation will ultimately punish any invigilator who commented on the student’s outfit.

Student Habiba Zahran wrote on Facbeook on Tuesday that people commented on her appearance from the moment she laid foot inside the faculty. After the exam, an invigilator stopped her, telling another woman to “come and watch.”

In the middle of the corridor, where exams were still held in three rooms, the invigilator said “have you forgotten to wear pants?”

Adding that they checked her identity card although they were not the invigilators of her own exam, one of them said “you used to wear the hijab and were respectful but now decided to become shameless?”

“You’ve become shameless, it’s ok honey, it’s just a phase and will pass,” she continued.

After that, invigilators and employees called each other to come and watch me, and even women were calling men to come over.

Earlier, an invigilator asked her if she was Muslim or Christian. The two female invigilators mocked the fact that Zahran is from Alexandria, and warned her that the wind will blow her dress up. Zahran described them as one wear a face veil and the other a khimar, a head veil that extends to cover the entire torso.

Ashry said Zahran should have filed a complaint at the office of the dean immediately to preserve her rights by law, and that she will on Sunday, as the dean spoke to her on the phone after seeing her post.

He emphasized that there is no discrimination between Muslim and Christians in the university.