On the third of December 2001, a court decision made it possible for students to wear the Niqab on the AUC campus. After Immam El-Zainy, a part time student raised a lawsuit against the AUC when she was not allowed to enter the library with her Niqab.
A statement issued by AUC last winter banning niqab on its premises said, "We believe strongly that all members of the AUC community have a basic right to know with whom they are dealing, whether in class, the library, labs, the bathroom or anywhere else on campus. This right extends to all faculty, students, staff and even visitors. We use photo IDs for a reason -- to enable us to identify people by matching the person's face to the picture." [Al-Ahram weekly]
I respect and understand this statement by the AUC, however, I believe that even with Niqab you still know who you are dealing with; there is the voice of the person, as well as their style of walking, moving and even dressing and you mostly can still see their eyes and the size of their body. It is true that you can’t see their facial expressions however you can see their eye movement and their body language.
A statement issued by AUC last winter banning niqab on its premises said, "We believe strongly that all members of the AUC community have a basic right to know with whom they are dealing, whether in class, the library, labs, the bathroom or anywhere else on campus. This right extends to all faculty, students, staff and even visitors. We use photo IDs for a reason -- to enable us to identify people by matching the person's face to the picture." [Al-Ahram weekly]
I respect and understand this statement by the AUC, however, I believe that even with Niqab you still know who you are dealing with; there is the voice of the person, as well as their style of walking, moving and even dressing and you mostly can still see their eyes and the size of their body. It is true that you can’t see their facial expressions however you can see their eye movement and their body language.
Today on campus we have a Canadian girl studying art wearing the Niqab. However, under certain regulations; she has to show her face as she passes by the security guards on her way to entering campus, also if any faculty member asks her to show her face. I take a class with that girl and I have never felt that her Niqab is annoying me. In fact I respect her for it. With her Niqab she is expressing herself and her beliefs and after all freedom of expression is a human right, and it is a right that the AUC claims to have it protected between its walls.
I saw the girl’s face and she is absolutely gorgeous, and when she talks about her Niqab you can tell that no one has forced her to wear it, just like no one has forced her to convert her religion to Islam.
Nonetheless, people bother her on campus for wearing her Niqab; once in a history class a professor stopped her while she was entering class and told her that she was not allowed with the Niqab on campus and that she has to show her face. He embarrassed her in front of the whole class till she finally was able to justify herself. She said “In Canada people are more accepting of my Niqab than here in Egypt.”
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