By Aisha Nazim
Source: latteeffarook.com
The
sudden ban on the niqaab – a face veil worn by sections of the Muslim
community – by the Moratuwa University authorities, has resulted in
several undergraduates being marginalized and faced with a conundrum, as
they have been prohibited to enter the university premises wearing the
garment.
This
is despite the fact that the students had participated in the
Leadership Training programme, without facing such issues, and had been
attending lectures since they began their respective courses earlier
this year without any problems as well.
However, as the year proceeded, problems began cropping up, based on their conservative dress code.
The
university guidebook does not mention anything about a dress code or
the face veil, prohibiting it or otherwise – a fact that is confirmed by
the Ministry of Higher Education. The face veil has not posed problems
in other universities in the country either, making the public question
the reasons behind the Moratuwa University authorities, to impose a
sudden ban.
Students
claim the university never had a problem with the veil. According to
Zainab Rumy (names have been changed to protect the student’s anonymity)
a first year undergraduate at the Moratuwa University’s Faculty of
Architecture, there have been veiled students in the previous batches as
well, who had enrolled and graduated without any issues. This sudden
infringement on their freedom of dress has taken place just a few months
ago – in July 2013, to be precise.
To improve security and communication
Speaking
to Ceylon Today, Zainab narrated how the ban was suddenly imposed on
her and two other undergraduates, and how they got to know of it only
when the security manning the entrance to the university prevented them
from entering the university.
“In
August, the security guards told us the Vice Chancellor had instructed
them not to allow us inside, unless we remove the niqaab before entering
the university premises. I was removing it and identifying myself at
the security checkpoints before this anyway. But, according to the new
rule, the veil is not allowed anywhere within the university. The other
two girls who are affected by this and I went to the Muslim lecturers
and asked them to represent our case. None of us were aware of anything
as we had not been informed. However, the Vice Chancellor had told the
lecturers that there is a certain accepted dress code, and that this
(niqaab) does not fall under that. The university says it’s for security
reasons, yet those wearing helmets covering the entire face are allowed
inside. Do we pose more of a threat than strange men who enter the
university?” Zainab queried.
Moratuwa
University Registrar, Vindya Jayasena, told Ceylon Today the ban was
put in place for reasons concerning security and communication. She said
though there are a few face-veiled students, there have been no such
students in the past. She also claimed that it is difficult for
lecturers to successfully conduct their lectures as they are unable to
see the students’ responses as their facial expressions are masked.
According to Jayasena, lecturers find it difficult to ascertain whether a
student comprehends the lecture or not. This is in spite of the fact
that none of the lecturers themselves have suggested this to the
niqaabi’d students, and as Zainab says, despite the fact that she has
also successfully delivered presentations without receiving negative
feedback from her lecturers.
The
Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA), meanwhile, said
that lecturers should be able to deliver lectures regardless of whether
they are able to see their students’ faces or not. Association
President, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri, countered that it is
‘ridiculous’ if a lecturer feels that he cannot lecture properly because
of not being able to establish anything more than eye-contact.
While
undergraduates should be free to veil themselves if they want, they
should remove it during examinations to establish their identity to the
supervisors and their fellow students, he added.
“You
can have your own choice, but when you’re sitting for an examination,
rules have to be the same for everyone. When you cover your face, it
becomes a problem as it is part of your photo identity. This is the only
reason I see for asking someone to remove their face veil. The
eye-contact issue – that’s subjective. Understanding or not is up to the
student; though it’s better to have eye-contact and better
communication, that’s the student’s choice,” he told Ceylon Today.
Ban is a violation of Fundamental Rights
According
to the 1978 Constitution, every Sri Lankan citizen regardless of race,
religion or gender, is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion – including the freedom to have or adopt to a religion or
belief of their choice.
Human
Rights Commissioner, Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa, stressed that this
includes the rights of a person to exercise their religious and cultural
beliefs and activities, including the manner of dress.
Article
12, the Right to Equality clearly states that ‘No citizen shall be
discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste,
sex, political opinion, place of birth or any such grounds’ and that
‘No person shall, on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex
or any one such grounds, be subject to any disability, liability,
restriction or condition’.
Sadly,
the Moratuwa University’s ban on the niqaab completely disregards a
person’s right to practice their religious and cultural beliefs, or the
basic right to dress as one wishes.
“It’s
a Fundamental Right to exercise your religious and cultural beliefs,
including how you dress. They have the right to dress that way – there
have been Supreme Court judgments in their favour as well. There was an
incident where a school principal had requested one of his teachers to
remove her farad. She went to the Supreme Court over it, and they
granted her the approval to wear it,” Dr. Mahanamahewa said.
No security threats in Lanka
The
face veil is banned in countries like France because terrorists tried
to use the niqaab as a mask, and there have been national security
risks. But here, he further said, in Sri Lanka, there is no such risk
and people have the absolute right to wear it if they so wish.
Despite the university’s sudden security concerns, the niqaab was not banned during the height of the civil war.
Salmiya Azeez, a niqaabi student, entered the Moratuwa University in 2006 and graduated from the IT Faculty in 2009.
“It
was during a tight security period,” she told Ceylon Today. “But I
didn’t face any security threats during my stay at the university. The
lecturers and the other students were really very supportive and they
helped me wholeheartedly in all my academic and non-academic work. My
period at the campus was really nice and normal,” she said.
This
leaves us with the question once again – if face veils were allowed at
the height of war and was not perceived as a security threat then, why
are the girls suddenly banned from entering university while donning it
now?
release said”.
In
2007, the houses of over 300 residents in Glenis Street in Slave Island
were demolished by the army. These houses were not shanties and some
were actually 2 or 3 story houses and many had a history going back to
over 100 years. The residents were intimidated by the army to go to
Weligoda in Mattakuliya to live in temporary shelters for 6 years.
dialogue and mutual accommodation that befits a community, which is
what this country must be. When people see the ruthless and efficient
use of state power used to destroy the livelihoods and homes of others,
they learn that there can be no dissent and no countervailing power to
that of the government. This creates fear, even if what is being done is
judged to be necessary and efficient.