Syria has banned the face-covering veil from the country's universities. The Education Ministry's ban on the niqab comes as similar moves in Europe spark cries of discrimination against Muslims. An official at the ministry says the ban affects public and private universities and aims to protect Syria's secular identity. Sunday' ban does not affect the headscarf, which many Syrian women wear. The niqab is not widespread in Syria, although it has become more common recently. Its growing popularity has not gone unnoticed in a country governed by a secular, authoritarian regime. Last month, hundreds of primary school teachers who wear the niqab were moved to administrative jobs, local media reported. Meanwhile, Spanish lawmakers will debate barring burqas in public, joining other European countries considering similar moves on the grounds that the body-covering garments are degrading to women, according to the leading opposition party. Top officials of the ruling Socialist Party have indicated they will support the proposal by the opposition Popular Party, making a ban likely unless the country's highest court rules it unconstitutional. A debate in Spain's lower house has been set by the Popular Party for Tuesday or Wednesday, the party said. No vote will be scheduled until after the debate, and Spain's Parliament usually goes on vacation for a month starting in late July or early August. Justice Minister Francisco Caamano said on June 15 that garments like the burqa are “hardly compatible with human dignity.” – AP France's lower house of parliament overwhelmingly approved a ban on wearing burqa-style Islamic veils on July 13 in an effort to define and protect French values, a move that angered many in the country's large Muslim community. The French ban on burqas and niqabs goes before Senate in September amid predictions it will pass, but its biggest hurdle could come when France's constitutional watchdog scrutinizes it later. Belgium's lower house approved a ban on face-covering veils, but it must still be ratified by its upper chamber. The Netherlands debated banning burqas four years ago and may yet outlaw attire. Switzerland last year banned minarets from where Muslim are called to prayer following a national referendum last year. Spain has about 1 million Muslims in the nation of 47 million, with most living in the northeastern region of Catalonia and the southern region Andalucia. However, burqas are rarely seen. Spain's second-largest city of Barcelona in June banned the use of burqas and niqabs in municipal buildings, joining a handful of small towns and cities nearby that have taken similar steps. Mansur Escudero, spokesman for Spain's Islamic Commission, said in June that there is no religious mandate for Muslim women to wear burqas and the garment was “extravagant,” but criticized government efforts to ban the outfit because he said women should be able to exercise free choice in how they dress.
