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Syria reverses ban on full face veil in universities

Arab World Materials 6 April 2011 16:54 (UTC +04:00)

The Syrian government has lifted a ban on the full face veil, or niqab, in universities in response to the demands of Islamic groups, state television reported Wednesday.

The ban on the niqab, worn by some Muslim women, was announced in July 2010. Minister of Higher Education Ghaith Barakat had said at the time that the niqab was "inconsistent with the values and ethics of academic traditions."

Reversing the ban was seen as an effort by the government to assert its secular character amid growing religious conservatism in the country, which has also been facing weeks of anti-government protests, DPA reported.

Mohamed Saeed al-Bouthi, a popular Islamic cleric, said in a televised address late Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad had informed him about upcoming reforms to be announced soon.

The reforms are expected to include "the lifting of emergency laws and the end of one-party rule, as well as greater media freedom," al- Bouthi said.

Protesters in Syria have been demanding greater freedoms and, in some cases, the ouster of al-Assad and the dismantling of the Baath Party, which has ruled Syria since 1963.

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