The story began with a video clip posted by one of the girls on social media, in which she said that she had made a reservation to celebrate her birthday at a famous restaurant in Cairo, but when she and her friends came, she was surprised by the management of the restaurant asking one of her friends to leave because the place does not allow entrance to veiled women.
The girl explained that all means of agreement with the management of the restaurant had failed and that she and her friends had been forced to leave, after expressing their anger and their deep dissatisfaction with “this discrimination”.
The girl’s video, which was shared widely on social media platforms, sparked angry comments and calls for action from authorities.
official move
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that it had moved to reveal the fact that veiled women were prohibited from entering a tourist establishment.
The ministry said:
Referring to what circulated on the “Facebook” social networking platform regarding a tourist establishment prohibiting the entry of veiled women to its visitors, the committee appointed by the ministry to inspect this establishment confirmed that the information disseminated on the incident were incorrect. During the inspection, the committee found that the establishment received all its customers without exception, and the presence of many veiled customers, practicing their normal life and consuming food and drinks without suffering any harassment. The committee reported that three veiled women work in the establishment, which confirms its welcome to all visitors, whether workers or visitors. In light of the promulgation of the Hotel and Tourist Establishments Law promulgated by Law No. 8 of 2022 and its regulations, no hotel or tourist establishment has the right to prevent veiled women from entering. , to enjoy and obtain all the services they provide. Anyone who is exposed to such behavior, if any, in one of the hotel or tourist establishments approved by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, must file a complaint with the Ministry on the designated hotline. In the event that one of the complaints lodged is confirmed, the Ministry will immediately take all the legal measures prescribed in this regard.
Reasons for frequent controversies
The head of the Central Administration for Hotels, Commerce and Tourism Activities at the Ministry of Tourism, Muhammad Amer, said in statements to “Sky News Arabia” that:
The debate around this question concerning the prohibition of veiled women or the prohibition of wearing the burkini in certain tourist structures is repeated and renewed almost every year. The reason for this is that it is easy to post anything on social media and it is released without verification. We don’t question anyone’s words, but there are official channels and a hotline that receives all complaints 24 hours a day. There is strict monitoring and committees to inspect tourist facilities and check for any complaints. . In the event of proven discrimination on the part of tourist establishments for any reason whatsoever, the sanction may go as far as their closure. In the aforementioned incident, we found that the restaurant originally allowed veiled women to book, and therefore the idea of preventing veiled women from entering it is illogical as long as it allows them to book, because veiled women work there. There is no discrimination on the basis of dress, color, religion or race in tourist facilities in Egypt. Complaints are not only received against facility managers, but there are also complaints that may also be received from visitors to the facility against the actions of other pioneers who violated their privacy. We do not acquit facility management of any misconduct, as this is possible, and some workers may have a misunderstanding of the instructions, but where it is confirmed that the transgression was intentional, the punishment will be severe.
Note that in September of last year, a great controversy broke out to prevent certain tourist structures reserved for women from wearing the so-called burkini swimsuit, intended for veiled women in swimming pools.
However, the Ministry of Tourism confirmed to ‘Sky News Arabia’ at the time that “there is nothing in Egyptian tourism law that prohibits going to swimming pools in a burkini or any other clothing, provided that its material is suitable for swimming and health requirements are met.
And before this incident, a crisis arose to prevent a tourist “cafe” for a veiled woman to sit there, and the Ministry of Tourism also acted at the time and took the necessary measures.
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