Morocco ‘Bans Sale of the Burqa’

Morocco’s government has banned the sale, production, and import of the burqa, reported local media.

According to Le360, authorities provided businesses with 48 hours of notice to remove the attire from their stores. While it is unclear why the burqa’s sale was banned, Le360 reports that it has been used by some criminals to hide their identity in order to commit various crimes.

Security authorities are reportedly also concerned with the use of the burqa to commit terrorism.

Despite these reports, there has been no official government confirmation of the ban, reported BBC. However, Media 24 reports that the Ministry of Interior has sent notices to businesses in various cities across the country to inform them of the new decision.

Morocco has also not completely banned the wearing of the burqa and it is not clear whether this will come in the future.

The ban of sale and production of the burqa is unlikely to impact many Moroccan women. Most women in Morocco who do wear a religious head garment wear the hijab.

The issue of the burqa, while often discussed in Europe, is also a rising concern in Egypt and other Muslim countries with the garment increasingly banned in certain places.

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