ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two female students at the faculty of Islamic studies in the University of Zakho said on Sunday that they were barred from writing final exams because they wear the niqab, a traditional Islamic veil that completely covers the face and body. The university administration said that all students must be identified in order to prevent cheating.
The incident has sparked debate on social media about security and identification concerns versus religious freedom.
One of the students said they had been informed in advance that they would not be able to cover their faces during exams. “We complained, but no one listened to us. And today we attended wearing a niqab and the examinations committee told us we should not present ourselves like this,” she told Rudaw’s Gharib Majid.
The student said they were first told that they could write their exams in a separate hall, monitored by female invigilators with no men present, which they would agree to, however that was later changed.
Another student said that this was her second year wearing a niqab to university and no one had obstructed her from writing exams before.
About five students refused to remove their niqabs and enter the exam hall, according to the students.
The University of Zakho said that they required all students to be identified in order to prevent cheating.
"Due to many unexpected situations, such as cheating issues and some other problems, students had been warned earlier that they should remove their niqabs for the exams, but they did not listen to this," read a statement from the university on Facebook, following an outcry on social media over the news.
"The students were told that a female inspector would examine them before entering the examination hall, but some of them refused," it added.
The niqab is a traditional article of clothing worn by some female Muslims around the world. What separates a niqab from the hijab is the face cover. A niqab must be loose fitting, be a muted color, and show only the eyes of the person.
Many countries have wrestled with regulating Islamic dress such as the niqab. Some European nations have imposed partial or full bans on face coverings, citing security, women’s rights, and secular traditions. Opponents of the bans argue they violate women’s human rights, could lead to the marginalization of women who chose to wear the coverings, and criticize laws that dictate what a woman can wear.
