Hundreds of Islamic face veils have been seized from female residents in a Somali city amid security fears that they can be used to conceal the identity of jihadists to carry out attacks.
Somali police seize hundreds of veils amid security fears https://t.co/qj9R3SQ9RV
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 5, 2024
Warsame Ahmed Gelle, the police chief of the southern Somali city of Kismayo, told Somali state television that security forces have been conducting operations to "fight" the veils, also known as niqabs.
Gelle also said the crackdown came amid concerns that jihadists could use the niqabs to conceal their identities and carry out attacks.
Officers in Kismayo have been confiscating the veils by stopping women in the streets and asking them to remove their niqabs. Women caught wearing the garment, which covers the whole face except for the eyes, also face fines or jail time.
The operation, which began on July 31st, according to Gelle, also came before an attack at a popular beachfront resort in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, last August 2nd that killed 37 people and wounded several others, according to police officers.
#Somalia's police CONFIRMED 32 people died, and 63 wounded in an attack on a beach hotel in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility. pic.twitter.com/jqv7ztAZ0B
— Geriley Media (@GerileyMedia) August 3, 2024
Large parts of central and southern Somalia are controlled by al-Shabab, the Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda responsible for carrying out the attack in Mogadishu. The group has been waging a brutal insurgency for nearly 20 years against the UN-backed government of Somalia.
The group claimed responsibility for the attack and said the death toll and injuries are much higher than the figures released by the authorities.
Because al-Shabab controls much of southern Somalia, Kismayo and its surrounding areas are the only places in Jubaland where authorities can enforce the niqab ban. Although the Somali government passed a niqab ban in 2013 due to security risks, the law was rarely enforced.
Although Gelle said that the popularity of the niqab has increased recently, most women in Somalia still opt for the hijab, which covers the hair but not the face. Niqab is widely seen as a sign of modesty in Islam, a religion practiced by 99% of Somalia’s population.
