Does Code Pink have a branch office in Egypt?
Via Al Arabiya
Many Egyptian women say they are facing a difficult summer season as Hijab-free zones seem to have soared in popularity, as more restaurants and high-end resorts enforce a de-facto ban on wearing headscarves.
Social media users in Egypt flocked to Facebook and Twitter over the past week to condemn the apparent decision by some venues to deny veiled women entry.
Many deemed the ban as “discriminatory” against practicing Muslim women in Egypt – a country in which 90 percent of its 80-million population are Muslim.
The ban is not completely new, it was reportedly common at resorts and restaurants frequented by foreigners, in cities such as Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada.
Recent reports suggest that several swimming pools and restaurants at five-star resorts lining the Egyptian north coast are also restricting the entry of veiled women to their services.
‘Violation of freedom’
Several veiled women who were rejected at the door spoke to Al Arabiya News and described the act as a ‘violation of freedom.’
Reem, a 28-year-old woman who wears the Hijab, said she was turned away at the doors of two different beaches at upscale north coast resorts for being veiled, she told Al Arabiya News.
“I was with my husband when I was told I cannot come in because I’m veiled.
“The outing was quickly cut short when the security at the door told me guests complain about the appearance of veiled women,” she added. Reem said such door-selection policies are never written.
Sally Nashaat, a 26-year-old mother of two girls, said she was also not allowed to enter a beach club house at a five-star north coast resort for being veiled.
Among a group of friends, she was told: “Everyone can enter, except her.
“It feels degrading, we are in our own country and we are not happy.
“I was about to cry,” Nashaat said, “no one has the right to deprive me of entering. This never happened to me anywhere else, even in the United States.
HT: GetAClue