In which countries is the niqab outlawed?

serpa

Iran The Niqab was traditionally worn throughout Iran- since the arrival of Islam till the end of Qajar era. There were many regional variations of Niqab- which was also called Ruband or Pushiye. The 20th century ruler, Reza Shah banned all variations of face veil in 1936, as incompatible with his modernizing ambitions. Reza Shah ordered the police to arrest women who wore the niqab and to remove their face-veils by force. This policy outraged the clerics who believed it was obligatory for women to cover their faces. Also many ordinary women gathered at the Goharshad Mosque in Mashhad with their faces covered to show their objection to the niqab ban.[26] Between 1941 and 1979 wearing the niqab was no longer against the law, but it was considered by the government as a “badge of backwardness”. During these years, wearing the niqab and chador became much less common and instead most religious women wore headscarves only. Fashionable hotels and restaurants refused to admit women with niqab. High schools and universities actively discouraged or even banned the niqab, although the headscarf was tolerated.[27] In 1979, Muslim cleric Murteza Motahhari who is considered among the important influences on the ideologies of the Islamic Republic, objected to niqab as “cultural practice which is not related to Islam”. Therefore, after the new government of Islamic Republic was established, the niqab was not encouraged by officials.[28] In modern Iran, the wearing of niqab is not common, except in religious cities such as Qom and Mashhad which still many women continue to wear the niqab. The Bandari ‘Arabs do in fact have the tradition of wearing Niqab. They have the traditional style which is similar to the veil worn by traditional women in Qatar and UAE and a similar style of dressing. They normally wear a chador over it and wrap it around themselves. They have a very unique way of dressing that is not worn by any other ethnic group in Iran. Saudi Arabia Saudi women are required both by law and tradition to wear the niqab (face-veil) in cities such as Mecca, Medina and Taif. In other cities such as Dammam and Abha, as well as southern cities, women are not required to wear it by law but most women observe niqab and it remains de facto obligatory- in fact women can be harassed by the religious police if they do not cover their faces. Jeddah, as the most liberal city of Saudi Arabia, is an exception. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niqāb Oct 08 09, 6:51 PM

serpa

Belgium Several Belgian municipalities have used municipal by-laws on face-covering clothing to ban public wearing of the niqab and burqa.[9] The town of Maaseik was to first to implement a ban. France Main article: Islamic veil controversy in France Wikinews has related news: Sarkozy states burqa to be "not welcome" in France The 2004 French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans all clothing which constitutes an ostensible religious symbol from government-operated schools. It is typically justified as a measure to ensure the secularism and religious neutrality of the state - the principle of Laïcité. In December, 2003, President Jacques Chirac supported a new law to explicitly forbid any "visible sign of religious affiliation", in the spirit of laïcité. The law was passed by the French parliament in March 2004. Germany Eight of Germany's 16 states contain restrictions on wearing the hijab: first Baden-Württemberg, then Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, the Saarland, Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. The city-state of Berlin banned all religious symbols in public institutions, including the Christian crucifix and the Jewish yarmulke. Sorry. I have to leave now. More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_dress_controversy_in_Europe#Europe Oct 08 09, 6:58 PM

author

I was mainly thinking about Tunisia, and to some extent Turkey. Quote: The niqab is outlawed in the Muslim country of Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country located in North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the southeast.... . In Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe.... , where the overwhelming majority of the population is Muslim, the traditional womenswear in cities at the turn of the twentieth century was called çarsaf (an outer garment similar to the Iranian chador) which would be accompanied by a piece of semi-transparent clothing to cover the lower face, called peçe. Although this combination is still being worn in some localities, the practice of covering the face has largely died off. In Turkey today, niqabi women, just like women wearing hijab, cannot work as public servants, neither can they continue studies at schools, including the private schools. Although there is no single law banning niqab at private companies, it would be nearly impossible for a niqabi woman to find work. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Niqab Oct 08 09, 7:20 PM

Baloo55th

According to The Metro some day this week, a top Egyptian cleric is on the warpath against the niqab. Can't be more precise as to date than Tuesday or Thursday. Wasn't today, don't think it was Wednesday. A friend who is even less politically correct than Baloo refers to the wearers of this thing as 'black pillar boxes' - from the colour of their garb and the narrow slit. Oct 09 09, 1:32 PM

Baloo55th

Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi is the cleric, and the Metro is Wednesday's - 07/10/09. Oct 09 09, 1:44 PM