Recently there has been some hype in France (surprise surprise) concerning the refusal of the government to grant citizenship to men who force their wives to wear the niqab. To many in French society, the niqab (although worn by less than 2,000 people) represents a flagrant violation of the main ideals entrenched in the French republic - namely secularism. This is not the first time a government - European or Middle Eastern - has attempted to eradicate a practice it views as misogynistic and backward through legal implementation - Ataturk did it and so did Reza Shah...it's effectiveness is debatable.

Another side of this debate takes us to modern day Cairo where female students at Cairo University have defied religious and state efforts to ban the controversial niqab from schools and colleges, saying that wearing the controversial face veil is a religious obligation that also protects against sexual harassment.

"I wear the niqab essentially to avoid harassment on the street and on public transport," said law student Marwa Mohammed, 19, her eyes visible only through the slits in the black veil that covers her entire face.

But if conditions changed and she was not subjected to harassment would she take it off?

She would not, because "the veil gives me respect, and people look at me differently." She implied that sexual harassment would exist as long as young men looking for work and housing remained frustrated in their efforts.

In October, Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Imam of the prestigious Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, ignited a heated debate when he said the niqab was merely a tradition not linked to religion, and that women would be banned from wearing it in schools and universities.

But on Wednesday, an Egyptian court caved in to opposition to the religious ruling and placed a stay on the ban.

The hijab is worn by most Muslim women in Egypt and religious authorities say that wearing it is an obligation of the faith.
The niqab,however, which has been gaining in popularity, has been driving a wedge between women such as Marwa and Egypt's highest religious authorities. Now, religious authorities who oppose the niqab and women who favor it are polarized over the issue.

The niqab-wearing students at Cairo University say they are adhering to a precept and repeat what seems to have become their mantra: "Of course the niqab is an obligation."

It is an Islamic duty, "particularly in the times we live in, where sexual harassment is so common," explained 18-year-old Aya, who studies Arabic literature and has been wearing the niqab for three months.

Sexual harassment is common in Egypt. According to a 2008 study by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, 83 percent of the country's women had experienced sexual harassment.

There is growing concern by the government and Al-Azhar authorities over the niqab, which is associated in Egypt with the ultra-conservative Salafi school of thought that is practiced mostly in Saudi Arabia and parts of Yemen.