TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has banned the wearing of the niqab face veil in public institutions “for security reasons” an official source told Reuters on Friday.

The decision follows Tuesday’s suicide bombing in Tunis by a wanted militant.

It was the third such incident within a week and came as Tunisia prepares for autumn elections and at the peak of a tourist season in which the country hopes to draw record number of visitors. Islamic State has claimed all three attacks. </s> Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices "for security reasons", his office said.

It said Chahed signed a government circular "banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons". </s> Tunis: Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided on Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices "for security reasons", his office said.



It said Chahed signed a government circular "banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons".

The ban on the niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.

The interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as disguise or to escape justice. </s> Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices "for security reasons", his office said.

It said Chahed signed a government circular "banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons".

The ban on the niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.

The interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as disguise or to escape justice.

The niqab and other outward shows of Islamic devotion were not tolerated under the regime of longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali but have made a comeback since he was toppled in Tunisia's 2011 revolution. </s> Tunisia’s prime minister has banned the full-face veil in all government buildings due to security concerns. It comes after a deadly double suicide bombing in Tunis in late June.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has barred women from wearing the full-face veil — or niqab — after the latest suicide attack in the capital, Tunis, at the end of June left two dead and seven wounded.

Chahed signed a government circular “banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered,” his office said. The decision was made for “security reasons.”

On Tuesday, the mastermind of those bombings blew himself up in a Tunis suburb to evade capture, the Interior Ministry said. But it denies that he was wearing a niqab to disguise himself, which witnesses had claimed.

As far back as February 2014, police had been instructed to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab — which covers the whole head apart from the eyes — as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as a disguise or to escape justice.

Niqabs and other forms of Islamic dress had been banned in Tunisia under secular presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba until a 2011 coup overthrew Ben Ali. (Agencies) </s> Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has banned the wearing of the niqab - a full-face veil - in public institutions with immediate effect, citing security reasons.

"Chahed signed a government decree that bars any person with an undisclosed face from access to public headquarters, administrations, institutions for security reasons," an official source told Reuters News Agency on Friday.

The decision, which was reported on state media, comes at a time of heightened security in the country following a double suicide bombing in the capital, Tunis, on June 27 that left two people dead and seven wounded.

Witnesses said one of the bombers was disguised in a niqab. The Interior Ministry denied this and said the mastermind of the bombings blew himself up on Tuesday to evade capture.

The attack was the third such incident within a week and came at the peak of tourist season as Tunisia prepared for an autumn parliamentary election. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIL or ISIS) claimed responsibility for all three attacks.

190703023031969

In 2011, women were allowed to wear the hijab and niqab in Tunisia after a decades-long ban under secular presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba, who rejected all forms of Islamic dress.

In February 2014, the interior minister instructed police to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of "anti-terrorism" measures to prevent its use as a disguise.

Several European, African and Asian countries have issued full or partial bans on the wearing of veils over concerns about security and the garment's perceived encroachment on the freedoms of the wearer.

Tunisia had been battling armed groups operating in remote areas near its border with Algeria since an uprising overthrew Ben Ali in 2011.

Tunisia is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Islamic and secular parties share rule. It is considered the sole democratic success story of the Arab Spring uprisings, but has struggled with an economic slowdown and social unrest. </s> Tunisia has banned people from wearing the niqab -- a full-face veil -- in public institutions, citing security concerns.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a government order Friday that prohibits anyone wearing a niqab, which covers everything but the eyes, from accessing public offices, according to official news agency TAP.

The rule, which takes effect immediately, applies to both staff and visitors.

On June 27, twin suicide bombings in the capital, Tunis, targeted Tunisia's security forces and killed at least one person and injured several others.

There have been reports that terrorists have been using niqab to disguise themselves, TAP said.

The niqab and hijab, or headscarf, were banned under secular governments until the ouster of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's regime in 2011, Reuters reports. </s> Tunisia’s premier on Friday banned niqab, the Muslim face covering for women, in government offices, citing security concerns after attacks in the North African country.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a government circular “banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons,” his office said.

The ban on niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.

The interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of wearing the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as a disguise or to escape justice.

The Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights urged that the measure be only temporary.

“We are for the freedom to dress (as one pleases), but today with the current situation and the terrorist threats in Tunisia and across the region we find justifications for this decision,” the league’s president Jamel Msallem told AFP.

He said that the ban should be repealed as soon as “a normal security situation returns in Tunisia”.

The niqab and other outward shows of Islamic devotion were not tolerated under the regime of longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali but have made a comeback since he was toppled in Tunisia’s 2011 revolution.

After bloody attacks in 2015 that targeted security forces and tourists, there were calls in Tunisia to re-impose the ban. </s> Tunisia's prime minister announced on Friday that women will be banned from wearing the niqab inside state buildings, after a militant allegedly used a face veil as a disguise before detonating a bomb belt.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a notice "banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons", his office said on Friday.

It comes after double suicide bombings in Tunis on 27 June, which left two dead and seven wounded.

The wearing of the niqab and hijab are controversial subjects in Tunisia, where strict laws against outward expressions of Muslim religious identity were in place for decades.

 

 Former presidents Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba clamped down on Islamic dress during their rule due to their strict secular ideologies.

After the 2011 revolution these laws were relaxed but in 2014 the interior ministry instructed police to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures.

The Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights on Friday urged the government to repeal the nijab ban as soon as "a normal security situation returns in Tunisia".

There were calls for a ban on the niqab in 2015 following a series of bloody militant attacks on tourism sites and other targets.

This article has been adapted from its original source.
Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announces that the niqab will be banned in public institutions effective immediately, citing security concerns following a pair of suicide bombings on June 27.