Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

Cairo University teachers can’t wear face veils
Associated Press | 3 October 2015
Source: http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/814741

CAIRO: The recent decision to ban female staff from wearing the full face veil aims to put an end to student complaints of “poor communication” in class, the head of Egypt’s Cairo University said Friday. Although the head-to-toe covering known locally as the niqab is “not a phenomenon” among his teachers, Gaber Nassar said he wants to “cure the disease” before it becomes one.

Scholars and students have denounced the move as discriminatory, but Nassar said he has the backing of the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s top religious authority. The niqab, Nassar said, is especially problematic in language courses, where the cloth barrier of the veil hinders student-teacher communications — producing low grades and graduates incapable of enunciation.

The vast majority of Egyptian Muslim women wear a form of veil that covers the hair but leaves the face uncovered. However the number of women wearing the full niqab veil has increased dramatically in the past 10-20 years. In 2009, Cairo University had banned both students and staff from wearing the niqab on campus or in the university’s dorms. The ban was later overturned by a Cairo court following a lawsuit filed by a professor.

“That was unconstitutional because it said all of the university, we are saying now only the lecture halls,” Nassar said, daring anyone to challenge his decree in court.

(End of article)

[gregory999]

[babur]

Cairo University teachers can’t wear face veils
Associated Press | 3 October 2015
Source: http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/814741

CAIRO: The recent decision to ban female staff from wearing the full face veil aims to put an end to student complaints of “poor communication” in class, the head of Egypt’s Cairo University said Friday. Although the head-to-toe covering known locally as the niqab is “not a phenomenon” among his teachers, Gaber Nassar said he wants to “cure the disease” before it becomes one.

[cartago]

It doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I'd like to see the face of the person teaching me.

[veiledsentiments]

In all of the universities that I taught in the Middle East, none of them allowed either the teachers or the students to wear facial veils in the classroom and this was even in the countries where there were sexually integrated classrooms.

In the UAE, I had one student who wore the traditional mask (that they call a burqa - http://khaleejia.blogspot.com/2009/04/burqa-in-uae-through-its-history.html ) and I couldn't understand a word she said. Because she was the wife of a Minister and in the royal family I couldn't say anything about it. Fortunately she became pregnant (her 8th baby... she was maybe 35...) and left the class in about a month.

A student in Oman showed up for the final exam with full facial covering. And she had previously been the flashiest girl in class... extreme make-up... not even an abaya. I knew that there was a rule against facial veiling. I refused to start the exam until she took it off, told the class that I wouldn't add time to the end... and it took them about 10 minutes, but the other women in the class talked her into removing it - even some of the men.

This is not an unreasonable demand. It is common sense regarding an item of clothing that is a tradition/fashion and not mentioned in the Quran.

VS

[cartago]

I just looked at this thread again and read the link which I hadn't the first time. I wonder what the point was in wearing those Emirati masks. You can still see almost the whole face. Was it just supposed to be decorative?

[scot47]

To scare off the Carthaginians ?

[gregory999]