Women assault, cut hair of Christian woman on metro
Two niqab-wearing women assaulted and forcefully cut
the hair of a Christian woman on the metro Sunday, the third such
reported incident in two months, raising fears of a growing vigilante
movement to punish Egyptian women for not wearing the veil in public.
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights said in a
statement that the assaulters called the Christian woman, who is 28
years old, an “infidel" and pushed her off the train, breaking her arm.
The Christian woman reported the incident to the police and filed a medical report to confirm the assault.
EOHR Director Naguib Gabriel urged the interior minister to address
the recurring attacks on unveiled women before it becomes a common
practice.
Last week, a woman wearing the niqab cut the hair of a
13-year-old Christian girl, Maggie Milad Fayez, in the metro. That same
week, an Egyptian court gave a female teacher in Luxor with a six-month
suspended prison sentence for cutting the hair of two 12-year-old girls
after they refused to cover their heads.
Mainstream religious scholars say wearing the veil is compulsory for
Muslims, but that no one can be forced to wear it. Muslim Brotherhood
leaders have repeatedly said they will not apply a strict interpretation
of Sharia with regard to women’s dress.
Opponents of President Mohamed Morsy, who resigned from
the Muslim Brotherhood when he took office, say these incidents prove
that Islamists are attempting to impose strict Sharia laws under his
rule.
Egypt is home to more than 8 million Christians, the largest such national community in the Middle East.
source : egyptindependent.com
