Tantawi calls for a ban on niqab

happyheart · October 7, 2009, 10:09am

I missed this earlier.

What relevance does who the occupier was have? Israel occupied Sinai and that was part of the reason Egypt made peace with it. The Arabs, Saudi Arabia chiefly but others like Iraq, were offering billions to bribe Egypt to not sign a peace agreement (because Egypt is the most important Arab military power and they knew that without Egypt their dreams of conquering Israel were gone).

Egypt’s aid package is pegged to being roughly 2/3 of whatever Israel gets.

Egypt was pro-Soviet until 1973 when it kicked the USSR out. Then the US stepped in and after 79’ began giving large amounts if money to it. Like it did with that superpower it can kick the US out whenever it wishes. Indeed, one prominent American foreign policy commentator, former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brezinski, has warned the US risks being expelled from the Middle East if present trends continue like the USSR was expelled from Egypt.

I oppose this law. You seem to think I support it. I personally think the niqab is a symbol of female subservience–notice that Islamists do not require similar type of clothing for men–but I believe in liberty and if someone wants to wear it that is their right. The only exceptions are where it creates threats to the public order, such as women wearing them when taking photos for driver’s licenses. Other than that they should be allowed to work, go to school, go to shops with it if they wish (well, if their Islamist husband allows them to work or go to school!).

Mubarak is a thug; I don’t support him. He may be secular but he is no liberal. Liberals believe in liberty, democracy, and social justice.

So what authority /authencity does the fatwa have when its given under a dictator???