Rabat - On Thursday, Algeria passed a law banning the wearing of full face-veils, called burqas or niqabs, for women at work.
Rabat – On Thursday, Algeria passed a law banning the wearing of full face-veils, called burqas or niqabs, for women at work.
The bill asserts that the garment obstructs authorities from properly identifying women.
The Algerian government released a statement saying that women “are obliged to respect the rules and requirements of security and communication which is at the level of their interests, and requires the recognition of their identity in an automatic and permanent manner, especially in the workplace.”
The majority of women in Algeria do not wear the niqab, although the decision is expected to upset those in the country who adhere to the Salafi branch of Islam.
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Algeria joins countries such as Spain, Denmark, and Niger, which have all passed full or partial bans on women wearing the garment.
The stricter Wahhabi school of Islam, which has its roots in Saudi Arabia, has traditionally promoted the wearing of the niqab. Saudi Arabia has been influential in spreading the niqab’s use throughout the wider Islamic world, including parts of West Africa.
In Morocco, women are allowed to wear full-face veils, but it is illegal to produce, sell, or buy them.
