That last thing Safa expected while shopping in the city center for her trousseaux was to be harassed by government security officers. The 23-year-old says she was inspected and humiliated because she was wearing a niqab.
More women like Safa have come under suspician since terrorists have resorted to using the full body cloak. The interior ministry announced the involvement of niqab-clad women in taking arms against security forces, smuggling weapons and manufacturing explosives, in addition to wearing the niqab as a disguise.
That last thing Safa expected while shopping in the city center for her trousseaux was to be harassed by government security officers. The 23-year-old says she was inspected and humiliated because she was wearing a niqab.
More women like Safa have come under suspician since terrorists have resorted to using the full body cloak. The interior ministry announced the involvement of niqab-clad women in taking arms against security forces, smuggling weapons and manufacturing explosives, in addition to wearing the niqab as a disguise.
“Wearing the niqab nowadays raises suspicions of terrorism,” said Safa, in contrast to its former status as a form of freedom of dress and belief, acquired after the popular revolution in 2011. “I am free to cover or uncover my face. Nobody has right to deprive me of my freedom,” she said.
A ban on the niqab
Safa’s concerns grow amid mounting calls of some Tunisian parties to enact a law banning wearing the niqab in public places after arresting niqab-wearing women involved in terrorist operations.
A heated debate over the ban of the niqab has ensued, with the Minister of Religious Affairs Othman Battikh supporting the ban while the Mufti of the Republic opposes it.
Last month the Ministry of Women’s Affairs banned wearing the niqab in kindergartens and nurseries. The niqab ban also triggered a protest staged by students in Tunisian universities, which banned niqab-wearing students from taking exams while covering their faces.
Safa said she wore the niqab two years ago when she joined the Faculty of Humanities in Tunis, and she said that she will not take it off, even if it means dropping out school.
Security versus freedom
Lawyer Anwar Awlad Ali, Head of the Observatory of Rights and Freedoms in Tunis, who defends suspects accused with terrorism, said banning the niqab and restricting the freedom of dress compromises the essence of recently gained freedoms.
He expressed his concern over the fact that tightening checks on niqab-wearing women may contribute to the return of the former police state since, he pointed out, the regime of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali used to tighten control on the niqab, hijab and even the practice of Salaah (Islamic prayers). He opposes a ban on wearing the niqab.
Leftist spokesperson of the Popular Front Hamma Hammami opposed banning the niqab and said freedoms of dress and belief are guaranteed in Tunisia’s new Constitution.
However, he added that he understands the security measures adopted to protect the country’s security in light of the escalated security threats, and he stressed that authorities may take any action in accordance with the law to ensure security.
On the other hand, Spokesperson of the Islamic Hizb ut Tahri Party Rida Bilhaj declared his support for banning the niqab as it constitutes a security ‘threat’ against the country.
Ghafran Hassayini, a scholar in the Islamic civilization and ideology, believes that the growing phenomenon of exploiting the niqab by terrorists or criminals to disguise themselves has ‘negative repercussions’ on society.
“Wearing the niqab represents the freedom of consciousness and dress, provided that it does not turn into a practice that brings about risks against and corruption to society,” he explained.
