Teaching staffers who violate niqab banning to be prohibited, CU spox

CAIRO – 28 January 2020: Cairo University’s spokesperson, Mahmoud Alam El Din, said Monday that the university has been applying the decision of banning niqab (full face-veil) at the lecture rooms for a while.

However, after the Supreme Administrative Court at State Council upheld a court’s ruling that bans Niqab at the lecture rooms, the decision will be applied under the supervision of the faculties’ deans, postgraduate studies undersecretaries, and students, added Alam El Din in press statements.

Alam El Din told Egypt Today that in case any member of the University’s teaching staff violated the banning, she will be prohibited from teaching at the University.

The Supreme Administrative Court at State Council upheld Monday a court ruling banning Cairo University's teaching staff from wearing niqab (full face-veil) and rejected an appeal to overturn the ruling.

A total number of 80 niqabi researchers at Cairo University filed an appeal against a previous decision by the Administrative Judiciary Court banning them from the face veil on campus.

Egypt's State Commissioners Authority (SCA) has recommended upholding the ban decision, saying that niqab affects the education process, and communication between students and the teaching staff.

The head of Cairo University, Mohammed Osman al Khisht, said that he respects and supports the Egyptian Judiciary’s ruling, especially that it was based on a deep-rooted judicial principal that meets the nature of the academic institutions and conforms with universities regulation law.

Al Khisht pointed out that article 96 of the law obliges the members of the teaching staff to wear uniforms that comply with the university’s traditions.

"The employees’ freedom to wear a uniform they choose must conform with the job’s traditions, this freedom is confined to the laws, regulations, administrative decisions, and traditions,” added al Khist in press statements.