Egypt denies anti-veil remarks

CAIRO – Egypt’s parliament on Sunday determined that anti-veil remarks made by the country’s culture minister were his personal opinion and didn’t represent the government’s view.

The uproar began after Farouk Hosni said that Egypt should return to a time when women didn’t feel forced to wear the headscarf and that the Arab world would not move forward if it kept “thinking backward”. In response, students protested at an Islamic university and several Muslim conservatives and other lawmakers demanded that Hosni be removed from his post.But parliament speaker, Fathi Serour, on Sunday determined that Hosni’s comments were his own and not the culture ministry’s policy.Serour asked Hosni if his ministry was adopting a policy against wearing the veil.The culture minister responded, saying: “This would be wrong and mad policy.””It’s clear that the minister is not adopting a policy or decisions against the veil….So, the issue is over.”The debate had dominated Egypt since Hosni’s comments were published in the newspaper on November 16, highlighting the deep and growing tension between the country’s conservative majority and secular minority.In a rare agreement between political rivals, some parliament members of the ruling National Democratic Party, of which Hosni and Serour were members, joined MPs from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood in signing the petition, accusing Hosni of “harming Islam”.Thousands of students, including many veiled women, protested for several days at Al-Azhar University, the most prominent Sunni Muslim institution, chanting slogans and carrying signs demanding Hosni’s removal.Hosni had refused to apologise for his comments, but on Sunday he said that he respected all Egyptian women, veiled and unveiled, and their decision to wear what they wanted.Nampa-APIn response, students protested at an Islamic university and several Muslim conservatives and other lawmakers demanded that Hosni be removed from his post.But parliament speaker, Fathi Serour, on Sunday determined that Hosni’s comments were his own and not the culture ministry’s policy.Serour asked Hosni if his ministry was adopting a policy against wearing the veil.The culture minister responded, saying: “This would be wrong and mad policy.””It’s clear that the minister is not adopting a policy or decisions against the veil….So, the issue is over.”The debate had dominated Egypt since Hosni’s comments were published in the newspaper on November 16, highlighting the deep and growing tension between the country’s conservative majority and secular minority.In a rare agreement between political rivals, some parliament members of the ruling National Democratic Party, of which Hosni and Serour were members, joined MPs from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood in signing the petition, accusing Hosni of “harming Islam”.Thousands of students, including many veiled women, protested for several days at Al-Azhar University, the most prominent Sunni Muslim institution, chanting slogans and carrying signs demanding Hosni’s removal.Hosni had refused to apologise for his comments, but on Sunday he said that he respected all Egyptian women, veiled and unveiled, and their decision to wear what they wanted.Nampa-AP