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Don’t wear veil abroad, Egyptian mufti says
Sheikh Ali Gomaa's remarks spark row in his country, other Arab states after stating Muslim women should not walk around with veils in foreign countries as it could cause a political problem
A Muslim woman should not wear a veil while walking around in foreign countries, Egypt's grand mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, said Sunday during an annual convention at the Ain Shams University in Cairo.
According to the Egyptian newspaper al-Wafd, Sheikh Gomaa was asked on his opinion on the matter and replied that it was inappropriate for a Muslim woman to wear a "niqab" (a veil covering a woman's entire body, including her face) in a country where it was not common, as "this could cause a political problem."
The mufti's remarks sparked a row in his country and in other Muslim countries.
Culture Gaps
Muslim community leaders angered by former British foreign secretary's remarks that he asks Muslim women to remove veils from their faces when they visit his constituency office to seek his help
The veil issue recently sparked a row in many western countries.
The Australian mufti, Taj al-Din al-Hilali, claimed that women who did not wear a veil on their heads were like "uncovered meat. If one takes meat and leaves it uncovered outside… and the cats come and eat from it… whose fault is that? The cats' or the uncovered meat's?" The remarks drew a wave of criticism by people who claimed the mufti was legitimizing attacks on women.
A similar dispute was stirred in Holland, when in November the government proposed a bill prohibiting women from wearing veils in public.
In Britain, former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw triggered a row by revealing that he asks Muslim women to remove veils from their faces when they visit his constituency office to seek his help.
