Somalia: Govt Bans Face Scarves As 'Security Threat'

Visit The Publisher's Site
The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
12 May 2007
Addis Ababa

The Somali government is cracking down on women wearing face scarves, fearing the clothing poses a threat to security in the volatile capital Mogadishu.

The government is not allowing women to wear the traditional Niqab, a scarf that covers the face and sometimes extends to the body.

Authorities said the new measure aimed to "prevent extremists and terrorists from exploiting the Niqab to carry out suicide attacks against the [government] and against Ethiopian forces," the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported.

They said extremists were using the clothing to hide themselves from the security forces.

Somalia has been facing grave security problems since Islamists, who had previously taken over the capital, were defeated by government forces with backing from Ethiopian troops in January.

Islamists have since regrouped and the capital remains insecure. Ugandan peacekeepers have been faced with violence since they deployed in Mogadishu in March.

Many civilians have fled the capital since February and more than 1,000 people have been killed in clashes.

The new campaign against wearing Niqabs has generated criticism from Somali women who say they are being subject to security crackdowns and forced to flee from government forces so as not to have to remove their face covering. Some women said security personnel forcibly removed the scarf from their faces and threatened them.

The Somali government is defending the sudden decision, explaining it as a temporary measure, which is necessary for maintaining security.

The newspaper said local policemen in the capital collected dozens of clothing items used as Niqabs and burned them in public.