Somali General Speaks Out Against Niqaab Burning
Mogadishu (SDN)-The Chief of Somalia’s armed forces addressed rumors that members of the military were forcibly removing women’s niqaabs (religious facial cover) and burning them.
General AbdiKarim Yusuf Aadan (Dhega-badan) told journalists that anyone who is caught burning niqaabs will be disciplined accordingly.
He also said the reports of an officer burning a niqaab have not been substantiated. He added that he takes the matter seriously and steps will be taken to deal with anyone who is accused of committing this act.
According to the General “officers may be suspicious of certain individuals and as a precaution may confirm their identity by asking women to remove their niqaab, however it is not possible for an officer to then take the niqaab and burn it, we will take action against any officer who does that”
Army officers have been accused of forcibly removing the niqaab’s of women who refuse to show their faces which has angered many women who feel that officers use excessive force when dealing with them.
The issue is a sensitive one as many women who wear niqaab do so as an act of worship and see it as a religious obligation. The armed forces are now facing a different a battle, one of public opinion and must find a balance between protecting religious freedoms while considering issues of public safety.
SDN-Muqdisho