In 2009, the Grand Sheik of Al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, declared the niqab has nothing to do with Islam and is a sign of radicalism.  Moreover, many Islamic scholars see the niqab as a modern expression of tribal customs and traditions that predate Islam, meaning that the niqab is not a religious requirement. 

Is the author aware that Al Azhar, the highest religious authority in Sunny Islam, the main branch of Islam with over one billion people, has banned the niqab in its university’s classrooms and dormitories? Other Egyptian universities have adopted the same position.