Egypt: Christian Girl Banned From School For Not Wearing an Islamic Veil

Don’t worry, now that Hosni Mubarak has been ousted, the Egyptian Revolution will one day bring true freedom to the people of Egypt, including women.  Some day.  Maybe.  Right? …

“(AINA) — A Christian girl was prevented for over a week from entering her school in Beni Mazar, Minya province, because she refused to wear a veil. ‘The school management described her as ‘flaunt’ for not covering her hair,’ said Coptic activist Nader Shoukry, who uncovered the story.

‘Coptic students were forced to obey for fear of the school management’s threats,’ said Mr. Wagdy Halfa, the attorney for the girl, ‘except for 14-year-old Ferial Sorial Habib, whose family refused this decision because it is inconsistent with religious freedom and a blatant Islamization of education.’

Ferial was prevented from entering her school by the social worker, Ms. Ola Abdel Fattah, for eight consecutive days.

Her father went to school on September 17 to protest this decision, but the school filed a police complaint against him on charges of libel and defamation.

Mr. Wagdy Halfa, the student’s attorney, said the school administration of Shaikh Fadl Secondary School, a public school in Bani Mazar, had sent a warning to Christian students compelling them to wear a head dress, similar to the Hijab, and not to reveal their hair, otherwise they would be refused entry to school.

Ferial’s father filed a formal complaint with the state attorney and another with the Department of Education of Bani Mazar, stating the school has turned into a ‘hotbed of militants’ and has acted out of its legal scope by forcing on students what is not specified by law or in the educational guidelines. He asked the authorities to investigate this incident.

According to attorney Halfa schools are only allowed to choose the color of the uniform. He warned of the seriousness of the incident as it confirms the Islamist program to take control of the education system and impose the veil on Christian women.” Read more.

Flashback: Women celebrating International Women’s Day are kicked out of Tahrir Square – “Small groups of women protesting in Egypt’s Tahrir Square to mark International Women’s Day, have been removed from the square by young men who have treated the women aggressively, snatched their placards and thrown them to the ground. Tahrir Square was the focal point of the January 25 revolt in the country. ‘I am very upset. It is not possible that women, whose presence contributed so much to the success of the Egyptian unrest, be denied their rights,’ the former Minister for Families, Moushira Khattab, told ANSA. After arriving in Tahrir Square, Khattab stayed only for a few minutes, disgusted at anti-female slogans being chanted by groups of men.” Read more.