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TFG Bans Niqab
Security Move Angers Muslim Women
The Transitional Federal Government has banned women from wearing the Niqab - a cloth which covers the entire face save the eyes - in Mogadishu, according to residents and officials.
Ali Gab, a former Hamar Weyne district police commissioner, said the ban was put in place to ensure the security of TFG troops.
“There were incidents occurred in Mogadishu when TFG soldiers were killed by armed men wearing the Niqab in order to pretend they were women,” he said.
Some devout Muslims have been angered by the ban.
“I am one of the women who wear the Niqab, and I can't obey the rules imposed by the TFG and break the ones of the Islamic religion,” said Amina Gacal, Mogadishu resident.
Gacal said many others were unhappy, while Faduma Jecfar, another Mogadishu resident, said TFG soldiers are stopping women wearing a Niqab and telling them to expose their faces.